Vatican official explains the ‘detachment from all sin’ required for plenary indulgences
January 17, 2026
» Continue to this story on Vatican News
CWN Editor's Note: Commenting on the newly declared Year of Saint Francis and the plenary indulgences associated with it, the second-ranking official of the Apostolic Penitentiary explained the detachment from all sin that is among the conditions necessary for a plenary indulgence.
“The detachment from sin that is required is not an emotional sense of purity, but an act of the will that says, ‘Lord, I want no sin at all, not even the smallest,’” Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel said in an interview with Vatican News. He explained:
It is not a state of sinlessness. A person may have weaknesses, recurring venial sins, and may even experience painful falls. What matters is the intention and the orientation of the heart: the sincere decision to break with sin here and now.
If someone says to God: “I do not want sin, I hate it, even though I know I am weak,” then there is no attachment to sin in that person.
Bishop Nykiel also discussed the relationship between the 2025 jubilee year and the 2026 Year of Saint Francis, as well as the saint’s importance for our time.
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
