Pope John Paul II's Holy Year proclamation helps us grasp this point clearly. He points out that an indulgence is a penitential practice. As minister of Christ's merciful love, the Church applies the remedies at her disposal to help us overcome the spiritual weakness that follows in the wake of sin, a weakness that must be dealt with either in this life or in purgatory. The remedies that the Church dispenses are none other than the salvation Christ won for us and the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints. Its purpose is to strengthen and perfect us so that we may clearly reflect God's love and take our place with all His saints.
Indulgences aid and abet that process.
It is also possible to gain an indulgence not just for ourselves but also for those who have died. We can join our prayers and good works to those of the saints, hastening the day when the dead rejoice forever in heaven. Now for the practical part. To make this indulgence accessible to everyone, I designated ten special sites throughout the Archdiocese as places of pilgrimage. These are listed below.