[Gocamino] [saintjames] The pope plans to offer indulgences via Twitter.

[blaroli at aol.com]

As any Catholic knows, a priest cannot absolve one's sins.... not ever. It is the act of confession itself and its consequential resolve not to repeat one's shame-engendering actions that brings about absolution. Priests do assist in the effort, since it is terribly difficult  to face one's wrongdoings.
That the Pope should seek to reach, and make available spiritual comfort, to those who cannot physically pursue them, by the new ways of communicating makes perfect sense. to me.
I am presently in Rome and am absolutely astounded by the popularity of the new Pope and very discomforted by the changes it has brought.
It is an hours-consuming chore to even get into Saint Peters. The line to go through the metal detectors, etc. takes more than on hour which is pretty brutal in this heat. The Square in front of the Basilica has been delineated and partitioned, permanently, it seems, and one cannot move at will.  The whole of Vatican City is sidewalk to sidewalk people, and trying to get into the Vatican museums is an exercise in futility. Even if one succeeds in getting in it is impossible to see anything hemmed in all sides by crowds and crowds, and throughout the city itself, wherever one goes, it is the Pope, the Pope, the Pope.
I don't understand it. Perhaps I am a one Pope's woman and for me it was John Paul II.
At any rate, I wouldn't advice anyone to visit Rome right now. Lovely and endlessly fascinating as the eternal city is, the unbelievable crowds make it impossible to enjoy anything.
I have noticed in several churches announcements regarding the Camino, and the people at the Vatican have produced a DVD on the Camino, which I will tell you about when I get home and watch it.
It is hot as Hades here. I never thought that I would miss New York City in the Summer, but this time I wish I were home cool and somewhat quiet. Even although for the past few years New York is full of tourists,  they cannot compare to the multitudes in Rome.
Oh well.
Hugs!
Rosina   

blaroli at aol.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Grant Spangler <GASpangler at hotmail.com>
To: †Yahoo Saint James <saintjames at yahoogroups.com>; †GoCamino OakApple <gocamino at oakapple.net>; †Yahoo Ultreya <ultreya at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, Jul 17, 2013 9:17 pm
Subject: [saintjames] The pope plans to offer indulgences via Twitter.


Anyone whose chief motivation on the Camino is plenary indulgence 
... could just stay at home and get the Pope's Twitter feed. Ah, progress.


The pope plans to offer indulgences via Twitter.

Following Pope Francis's Twitter feed may be good for your soul – both in this 
life and the next.

The spiritual leader of the Catholic Church plans to grant plenary indulgences 
by Twitter during the World Youth Day 2013 event, to be held July 23-28 in 
Brazil.

The indulgences – which can reduce the time a soul spends in purgatory – will be 
available to Francis's nearly 2.7 million Twitter followers – if they tune in 
the world to World Youth Day broadcasts or take other spiritual actions. To get 
an indulgence, a Catholic must have already had their sins absolved by a priest.

Pope Francis issued a decree about indulgences and social media on July 9, 
according to the Rome-based Zenit news organization, which covers the Vatican.

"The faithful who on account of a legitimate impediment cannot attend the 
aforementioned celebrations may obtain Plenary Indulgence under the usual 
spiritual, sacramental and prayer conditions, in a spirit of filial submission 
to the Roman Pontiff, by participation in the sacred functions on the days 
indicated, following the same rites and spiritual exercises as they occur via 
television or radio or, with due devotion, via the new means of social 
communication," the decree states.

Patricia Maldonado, director of digital media for the Archdiocese of Detroit, 
approves of the idea. She said it will help the Catholic church better connect 
with young people who are already on Twitter and other social media.

"By using Twitter in new ways to reach out to people spiritually, Pope Francis 
is setting the example and laying the foundation for the rest of the Church to 
follow in his footsteps," said Maldonado, who oversees the dioceses Twitter feed 
@DetroitCatholic.

Giving indulgences by social media, means the faithful to get the spiritual 
benefits of World Youth day even if they can't be there, said Bob O'Gorman, a 
retired religion professor and author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to 
Understanding Catholicism."

O'Gorman said that major Catholic events like World Youth Day have been seen in 
the past as opportunities for forgiveness and renewal.

Even people who can't travel to a major church event or pilgrimage can still 
experience that forgiveness, said O'Gorman, if they take some kind of spiritual 
action.

The idea comes from the Bible, O'Gorman says..

Jesus told his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew that where two or more of them 
gathered in his name, he would be present in their midst. Being in Jesus's 
presence is a way to be forgiven, said O'Gorman.

"This is a way to reconnect with God," he said. "A lot of this is about the 
sense of separation we feel from God."

In medieval times, that spiritual action often involved making a donation, which 
led to corruption, he said..

Today, that can mean tuning in to broadcasts from World Youth Day or following 
it on Twitter.

"I think it's a great idea," said Eileen Daily, assistant professor of pastoral 
studies at Loyola University in Chicago. Daily, who has studied how Catholics 
use social media, said Twitter can help Catholics make faith part of their 
everyday life.

It's a bit like keeping count of the time spent on a treadmills or other 
exercise equipment as part of maintaining physical health.

"In order to pay attention to the Pope's Twitter feed—they have to be 
integrating that into their daily life," she said. "It is about people making 
the effort to bring faith into their daily life."

Following Twitter or interacting through other social media will make World 
Youth Day interactive, said Daily.

Instead of just sitting and passively watching the telecasts from World Youth 
Day, Catholics will actually be taking part.

"It gives people a chance to apply it to their lives," she said.

Daily said that as a Jesuit, Pope Francis is used to seeing God in every part of 
life. So combining Twitter and with the ancient practice of indulgences, makes 
sense.

But the Pope's new decree doesn't make it easy to get an indulgence, said Scot 
Landry, cabinet secretary for Catholic Media in the Archdiocese of Boston. He 
worries that some people may misunderstand how the church views indulgences.

"Receiving an indulgence by the church is a high bar," he said. "What you need 
to be able to do is to go to confession, receive communion… A lot of the 
headlines are making it seem like this is an easy step."

Still he sees the Pope's latest move as a good step. Landry said it means more 
Catholics can feel included in Word Youth Day.

Grant Gallicho, the associate editor of Commonweal magazine and a prolific 
blogger @gallicho, also believes the Pope's Twitter indulgences are a good idea.

"In 2001, Pope John Paul II granted indulgences to Catholics who walked through 
the bronze door of St. Peter's Basilica," he said. "A door is just another kind 
of technology. For most young people today, their doorway to the marketplace of 
ideas is social media. Why shouldn't Twitter serve as a way into the church?"

Smietana also reports for the Tennessean, Nashville. Contributing: Kimberly 
Railey.

 
Buen Camino, 
 
Grant
 
http://www.ElCaminoSantiago.com
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