The Indulgences Attached to the Way of the Cross and on Acquiring Them

I. Attached indulgences. By Decree of the Sacred Penitentiary,¹ all and each of the Indulgences previously granted in performing the Way of the Cross have been abrogated, and the following new indulgences have been established: all the faithful who, whether individually or in company, with heart at least contrite, perform the pious exercise of the lawfully erected Way of the Cross according to the prescriptions of the Holy See can gain:

1. A plenary indulgence as often as they complete the pious exercise itself.

2. Another plenary indulgence, if on the same day on which they have performed the mentioned pious exercise, or even within a month after it has been performed ten times, they approach the Sacred Synaxis.

3. A partial indulgence of ten years and as many quarantines for individual stations, if perhaps, for any reasonable cause, they have not brought the exercise begun to the end.

¹ October 20, 1931 (A.A.S. 1931, p. 522).

II. Acquisition of the indulgences. In order that the indulgences be acquired, there are required:

1. Visitation of the Stations, by going from one station to another.¹ Now:

a) In a private exercise, or one performed by individual persons, passage from one Station to another is always required "insofar as either the multitude of persons who visit them or the narrowness of the place where they are erected permits."²

b) In a public exercise, or one performed after the manner of a public sacred function, when disturbance can be excited, it suffices that, each one of the people keeping his own place, the priest with two clerics or cantors go around, and, stopping at each station, recite there the particular customary prayers, the rest responding alternately.³ But in the case in which, because of the size of the church or other circumstances of the place, the priest reciting prayers at each station can scarcely, or not even scarcely, be understood, it suffices that the same prayers be recited by the priest from the pulpit, from which he is understood by all, provided that another priest with two clerics or cantors goes around and stops at each station.⁴

c) In a common exercise, namely one performed by several at the same time but not after the manner of a public function, passage of all is required unless the narrowness of the place stands in the way; if this stands in the way, in the case in which the matter concerns a religious community, it suffices that one, even a layperson or woman, go around and, stopping at each station, recite the prayers.⁵

2. Meditation on the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ; nor is any vocal prayer prescribed.⁶ Meditation on the passion in general suffices, and that however brief and according to each one's capacity.⁷

3. The exercise performed morally in one stretch.⁸ A brief interruption for any cause, indeed a longer one from a religious cause, does not stand in the way.⁹

¹ Cited Monita, n. VII.

² Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, February 26, 1841 (Decreta authentica, n. 287).

³ Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, July 23, 1757 (Decreta authentica, n. 210).

⁴ Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, March 1, 1884.

⁵ Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, February 27, 1901; May 7, 1902.

⁶ Cited Monita, n. 6.

⁷ Cf. Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, June 2, 1838 (Decreta authentica, n. 259); Raccolta, n. 88.

⁸ Cf. Raccolta, n. 88.

⁹ Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, January 22, 1858 (Decreta authentica, n. 385, to I); Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, December 16, 1760 (Decreta authentica, n. 223, to IV).

"Most Blessed Father, Fr. Bernardinus of Portu Romatino, Minister General of the whole Order of Friars Minor of St. Francis, prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, humbly sets forth that very often the faithful who are prohibited by a legitimate impediment from performing the exercise of the Holy Way of the Cross are also impeded from gaining the indulgences annexed to the exercise of the Way of the Cross by using a Crucifix blessed for this effect, because they do not possess one, as happens in poor families, in hospitals, and in other pious places of this kind.

Hence, that devotion toward the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ may be increased more and more, and lest the faithful, especially souls detained in purgatory, because of the exposed lack of a Crucifix, be shut out from participation in the aforesaid indulgences, the Orator supplicates with earnest prayers that Your Holiness deign benignly to extend to the Crucifixes commonly called of the Way of the Cross the indult conceded by Pius Pope IX of holy memory with respect to the Rosary, on the day 22 Jan. 1858 (Decret. authent., n. 384), so that all Christian faithful of either sex, reciting in common the prescribed twenty Pater, Ave, and Gloria, may be able to gain the indulgences annexed to the exercise of the Way of the Cross, although they do not hold in the hand the blessed Crucifix, and that it suffice that only one person, whoever that person may be from the community, hold it in the hand, and that all the rest, all other cares being put aside, compose themselves for making prayer, together with the person who holds the Crucifix. Which grace, etc.

Our Most Holy Lord Pope Leo XIII, in the audience held on the day 19 Jan. 1884 by the undersigned Secretary of the Sacred Congregation placed over Indulgences and Sacred Relics, benignly assented for the grace according to the things sought, according to the tenor of the Indult already conceded for the recitation of the Most Holy Rosary, namely that the Christian faithful of whom in the prayers should so compose themselves for performing the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross together with the person who holds the Crucifix, that they can gain the indulgences of the Way of the Cross. The present is to be valid in perpetuity without any expedition of a Brief. All things whatsoever to the contrary notwithstanding."

"Whether, for gaining the indulgences granted for the visitation of the fourteen Stations of the Way of the Cross, the recitation of six Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory Bes is required in addition to the aforesaid visitation of the Stations? - Response. For obtaining the indulgences granted for the visitation of the fourteen Stations of the Way of the Cross, nothing else is required than, while meditating on the Passion of our divine Redeemer Jesus Christ, to proceed from one Station to another, insofar as the multitude of persons visiting the aforesaid Stations or the capacity of the place in which they have been erected permits. Thus the matter stands from the Bull Inter plurima of Benedict XIII, 3 March 1726, confirmed by another Bull, Exponi nobis, of Clement XII, dated 16 January 1731, and the Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences dated 3 April 1731, and also the Brief of Benedict XIV which begins Cum tanta, dated 30 August 1741. Hence it is that We adore You, O Christ; the Our Father; the Hail Mary, etc.; and Have mercy on us, O Lord, are only a laudable custom introduced by the pious Christian faithful into the exercise of visiting the Stations of the Way of the Cross. In witness whereof .... 22 September 1829."

1080. • QUESTION. For gaining the Indulgences granted for the visitation of the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, is the recitation of six Paters, Aves, and Glorias required in addition to the visitation of the aforesaid stations?

RESPONSE. For obtaining the Indulgences granted for the visitation of the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, nothing else is required than to pass from one station to another while meditating upon the Passion of the divine Redeemer Jesus Christ, insofar as the multitude of persons visiting the aforesaid stations, or the capacity of the place in which they are erected, permits. The matter is thus evident from the Bull Inter plurima of Benedict XIII, 3 March 1726, confirmed by another Bull, Exponi nobis, of Clement XII, dated 16 January 1731, and by a Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences dated 3 April 1731, and also by the Brief of Benedict XIV which begins Cum tanta, dated 30 August 1741. Hence it is that We adore Thee, O Christ; Our Father; Hail Mary, etc.; and Have mercy upon us, O Lord, are only a praiseworthy custom introduced by pious faithful of Christ into the exercise of visiting the stations of the Way of the Cross. In testimony whereof, etc. 22 September 1829.

According to Benedict XIV, that pious exercise which is commonly called the Way of the Cross is to be numbered among the principal acts of piety to be performed by the faithful, both because it is excellent in itself, and because it has been enriched with many indulgences. The origin of this pious exercise was the very devotion of the faithful visiting those holy places which have been marked by the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ; for to these the Church had conceded many indulgences, and in the course of time extended them also to those who would recollect with pious meditation certain imitations of those places. Therefore we know that several indulgences have been attached to the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, but it is difficult, indeed even prohibited, to enumerate them. - Cf. Maurel-Beringer, n. 60.

Question 5. Whether someone can gain the Indulgences of the Way of the Cross several times in a day?

Resp. The authors who have written concerning this matter up to now affirm it. Nevertheless, to the Bishop of Périgueux recently it was responded thus by the S. C. of Indulgences, 10 Sept. 1883: "From the documents it is not established that the Indulgences conceded for the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross are gained as often as the aforesaid pious exercise is repeated." - Cf. Nouvelle Revue Théologique, vol. 15, pp. 473 and following.