This very issue, indulgences, is what set Martin Luther off on the move that would become the Protestant breakaway from the Roman Catholic Church. And it's just as evil and idiotic now as it was 500 years ago.

Court in charge of forgiveness of sins says those that follow upcoming event via social media will be granted indulgences

Salvation – or at least a shorter stay in Purgatory – might now be only a tweet away with news that Pope Francis is to offer “indulgences” – remissions for temporary punishment – to the faithful who follow him on the social media site.
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Catholics claim purgatory is for working off the temporal effects of sin but a temporal effect is a consequence that flows naturally from the sin itself, like liver disease from drinking too much or catching a STD from sexual sin. In this case, purgatory is not a natural consequence at all but rather a supernatural one imposed on the believer by God post mortem. It is not temporal but the Catholics need to argue that way because scripture clearly teaches that Christ took our punishment for us (Isa 53:6; 2 Cor 5:21). So Rome wants to prop up the doctrine of purgatory as part of the sanctification process. This is controverted by scripture that says Jesus sanctified us positionally with the Father: “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Heb 10:14)
What’s next “like” the pope on facebook and get a pass on three weeks of mass attendance