But if you take time off from work, pay for an airline ticket, pay for a hotel, and attend this or that event that Francis has decreed worthy of a 'plenary indulgence' and actually show up in the crowd, then you merit one.
From the Catholic Catechism:
The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.83
CHAPTER TWO, Article 4, Section X, sub-section 1471, line 83
When I was still a Catholic, if you wanted a special Mass for a loved one, the church expected you to contribute to a special collection.
Catholic Answers Forum states that most churches today still expect this fee:
https://forums.catholic.com/t/having-a-mass-said-for-someone/76458
Some say the fee is "suggested" and not required. But even the suggestion of this un-Biblical, as is the entire premise of an indulgence.
It against God's Word.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Matthew 20:28
Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
