Vatican Publishes Terms of Jubilee 2025 Indulgences, Including Abstaining from Social Media

The Vatican has issued fresh indulgences. In 2025, the remission of sins is offered not only for visiting churches, praying and doing good deeds, but also for giving up television, video games, telephones and social media at least once a week. Folks, we still have a chance.

If you thought that the certificates of the Holy See granting absolution of sins had stayed on the pages of history textbooks, you are mistaken. Indulgences were issued once, and they go on being issued still.

To get to the heart of this little piece of paper, let us acquaint ourselves with the text itself:

A plenary indulgence is granted for the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin.

An indulgence applies to sins that have already been forgiven. A plenary indulgence cleanses the soul as though the person had just been baptised. Plenary indulgences obtained during the Jubilee Year may also be applied to souls in purgatory, with the possibility of obtaining two plenary indulgences for a departed soul in a single day.

To obtain an indulgence, one must fulfil the usual conditions: renunciation of all sins, confession, Holy Communion and prayer. The indulgence is granted for the performance of any one of six points.

I Make a pilgrimage to Rome and pray for the Pope's intentions in any of the four major papal basilicas (St Peter's Basilica, the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls) or in any of the special Jubilee churches listed by the Apostolic Penitentiary in Rome.

II Make a pilgrimage to one of the following churches in Italy: the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi, the Basilica of Our Lady of Loreto, the Basilica of Our Lady of Pompeii, the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua, OR in the Holy Land: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

III Perform an extraordinary work of mercy, for example, donate generously to the poor or visit nursing homes or prisons.

IV Take part in spiritual exercises, missions or events sponsored by a diocese or parish and based on the documents of the Second Vatican Council or the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

V Visit any local cathedral, shrine of the Virgin Mary or other special church designated by the local bishop for obtaining the Jubilee indulgence.

VI Abstain for at least one day a week from “useless distractions”, such as social media, television, video games and certain phone apps.