Legal Definitions - indult

An indult refers to a special permission or exemption granted by the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. This permission allows an individual, a group, or an institution to do something that would otherwise be contrary to the established rules or laws of the Church, known as canon law.

Essentially, an indult is a formal waiver from a specific requirement of canon law, issued for a particular reason or circumstance.

• Example 1: Ordination Age Waiver

  Canon law specifies minimum age requirements for ordination to the priesthood. Imagine a highly exceptional candidate, perhaps a former Protestant minister converting to Catholicism with extensive theological training and pastoral experience, who is slightly below the canonical age for ordination but is deemed ready and urgently needed for ministry in a specific mission territory. The local bishop could petition the Pope for an indult to allow this individual to be ordained a priest a few months before reaching the standard age. This demonstrates an indult as a specific permission to deviate from a general rule (age requirement) for a particular circumstance.

• Example 2: Dispensation from a Vow

  Consider a member of a religious order who has taken solemn vows, including a vow of poverty that requires them to renounce personal property. If, due to an unforeseen family crisis, this individual becomes the sole caregiver for an elderly, infirm parent who requires significant financial support and management of inherited assets, fulfilling the vow of poverty in its strictest sense might become impossible without neglecting their filial duties. The religious superior could petition the Holy See for an indult that would temporarily or permanently modify the application of the vow of poverty for this individual, allowing them to manage and use necessary funds for their parent's care without violating their commitment to the Church. Here, the indult provides an exemption from a strict interpretation of a vow under canon law due to extraordinary circumstances.

• Example 3: Unique Liturgical Practice

  Canon law generally prescribes the standard Roman Rite for the celebration of Mass and other sacraments within the Latin Church. However, certain communities, particularly those with a unique historical or cultural heritage, might seek to incorporate specific traditional elements into their liturgy that are not part of the standard rite. For instance, a small, ancient Catholic community in a remote region might have historically developed a unique local variant of the Roman Rite, incorporating indigenous music, vestments, or customs that predate modern liturgical reforms. To preserve this heritage while remaining in full communion with the Church, the community's bishop could request an indult from the Pope. This indult would formally permit the continued use of these specific, approved liturgical adaptations, even though they deviate from the universal norms of the Roman Rite. This illustrates an indult allowing a specific group to maintain a practice contrary to general liturgical law.