Catechesis

Pope Francis General Audience: Why have a Jubilee of Mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 9 December 2015 [Multimedia]     Why have a Jubilee of Mercy? Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, Yesterday I opened here, in St Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Door of the Jubilee of Mercy, after having previously opened it in theCathedral of Bangui, Central Africa. Today I would like to reflect together with you on the meaning of this Holy Year, responding to the question: Why have a Jubilee of Mercy? What does this mean? The Church...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The signs of the Jubilee

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 16 December 2015 [Multimedia]     2. The signs of the Jubilee Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! On Sunday the Holy Door was opened in the Cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of St John Lateran, and a Door of Mercy was opened in the Cathedral of every diocese of the world, and also in shrines and churches indicated by bishops. The Jubilee is throughout the world, not only in Rome. I wanted this sign of the Holy Door to be...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The Christmas of the Jubilee of Mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 30 December 2015 [Multimedia]     3. Christmas of the Jubilee of Mercy  Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! In these days of Christmas the Child Jesus is placed before us. I am certain that in our homes many families still have a nativity scene arranged, continuing this beautiful tradition brought about by St Francis of Assisi which keeps alive in our hearts the mystery of God who became man.   Devotion to the Child Jesus is...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The Mercy of God

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 13 January 2016 [Multimedia]     4. The Mercy of God Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today we shall begin the catecheses on mercy according to the biblical perspective, in order to learn mercy by listening to what God himself teaches us through his Word. We shall start with the Old Testament, which prepares us and leads us to the full revelation of Jesus Christ, in whom the mercy of the Father is fully...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 20 January 2016 [Multimedia]   Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! We have listened to the Biblical text which this year guides the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is taking place this week from 18 to 25 January. That passage from the First Letter of St Peter was chosen by an ecumenical group from Latvia, commissioned by the World Council of Churches and by the Pontifical...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and mission

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE Saturday, 30 January 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy and mission Dear Brothers and Sisters, Day by day we enter more deeply into the Holy Year of Mercy. By his grace, the Lord guides our footsteps as we pass through the Holy Door and he comes to meet us and stay with us always, despite our failings and contradictions. Let us never tire of feeling in need of his forgiveness. For when we are weak, being close to him strengthens us and...

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Pope Francis General Audience: God hears our cry and makes a covenant

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 27 January 2016 [Multimedia]   5. God hears our cry and makes a covenant Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! In Sacred Scripture, God’s mercy is present throughout the entire history of the people of Israel. With his mercy, the Lord accompanies the journey of the Patriarchs, gives them children despite being barren, leads them on paths of grace and reconciliation, as demonstrated by the story of Joseph and his brothers (cf....

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy and Justice

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 3 February 2016 [Multimedia]   6. Mercy and justice Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, Sacred Scripture presents God to us as infinite mercy and as perfect justice. How do we reconcile the two? How does one reconcile the reality of mercy with the demands of justice? It might appear that the two contradict each other; but in fact it is not so, for it is the very mercy of God that brings true justice to fulfilment. But what...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The Jubilee in the Bible. Justice and sharing

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 10 February 2016 [Multimedia]   7. The Jubilee in the Bible. Justice and sharing Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning and have a good Lenten journey! It is fitting and meaningful to hold this Audience on Ash Wednesday. We are beginning the Lenten journey, and today we stop to consider the ancient institution of the “jubilee”, an ancient custom attested in Sacred Scripture. In particular we find it in the Book of Leviticus,...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and commitment

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE Saturday, 20 February 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy and commitment Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! The Jubilee of Mercy is a true opportunity to enter deeply into the mystery of the goodness and love of God. In this Season of Lent, the Church invites us to learn to know the Lord Jesus ever better, and to live the faith in a consistent way with a lifestyle that expresses the mercy of the Father. It is a commitment that we are...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy and Power

8. Mercy and power Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, We continue with our catecheses on mercy in Sacred Scripture. Various passages speak of the powerful, of kings, of men “in high places”, and also of their arrogance and their abuse of power. Wealth and power are situations that can be good and beneficial to the common good, if placed at the service of the poor and of all, with justice and charity. But when, as too often occurs, they are experienced as a privilege, with selfishness and...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy and correction

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 2 March 2016 [Multimedia]     9. Mercy and correction Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, In speaking about divine mercy, we have often evoked the figure of the father of a family, who loves his children, helps them, cares for them, forgives them. As father, he teaches them and corrects them when they make mistakes, helping them to develop and grow in goodness. This is how God is presented in the first chapter of the...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and service

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE Saturday, 12 March 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy and service Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! We are approaching the celebration of Easter, the central mystery of our faith. The Gospel of John — which we just heard — recounts that, before dying and rising for us, Jesus made a gesture that was carved into the memory of his disciples: the washing of feet. That gesture was so unexpected and unsettling that Peter didn’t want to...

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Pope Francis: General Audience: Mercy and consolation

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 16 March 2016 [Multimedia]   10. Mercy and consolation Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, In the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapters 30 and 31 are called the “Book of Consolation”, because God’s mercy is presented with his great capacity to comfort and open to hope the heart of the afflicted. Today we too want to hear this message of consolation. Jeremiah addresses the Israelites who have been deported to a foreign land and he foretells...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The Easter Triduum during the Jubilee of Mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 23 March 2016 [Multimedia]   11. The Easter Triduum during the Jubilee of Mercy Dear Bothers and Sisters, Good morning, Our reflection on the mercy of God introduces us today to the Easter Triduum. We will live Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday as powerful moments that allow us to enter ever further into the great mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in these three days speaks of...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy blots out sin at the root

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 30 March 2016 [Multimedia]   12. Mercy blots out sin at the root Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, Today we shall complete the catecheses on mercy in the Old Testament, and do so by meditating on Psalm 51[50], known as theMiserere. It is a penitential prayer in which the request for forgiveness is preceded by the confession of sins and in which the one praying allows himself to be purified by the Lord’s love. Thus, he...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The Gospel of Mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 6 April 2016 [Multimedia]   13. The Gospel of Mercy Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! After reflecting on the mercy of God in the Old Testament, today we begin to meditate on how Jesus fulfilled it. It was a mercy he expressed, realized and communicated throughout his earthly life. Encountering the multitudes, proclaiming the Gospel, healing the sick, being close to the least, forgiving sinners, Jesus made visible the...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and almsgiving

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Saturday, 9 April 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy and almsgiving Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning, The Gospel passage we have heard allows us to discover an essential aspect of mercy: almsgiving. It might seem simple to give alms, but we must be careful not to empty this gesture of its importance. Indeed, the term “alms”, derives from the Greek and actually means “mercy”. Therefore, almsgiving must...

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Pope Francis General Audience: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 13 April 2016 [Multimedia]   14. I desire mercy, and not sacrifice (Mt 9:13) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! We have heard the Gospel account of the call of Matthew. Matthew was a “publican”, namely, a tax collector on behalf of the Roman Empire, and for this reason was considered a public sinner. But Jesus calls Matthew to follow him and to become his disciple. Matthew accepts, and invites Jesus along with the...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The tears of the sinful woman who is forgiven

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 20 April 2016 [Multimedia]       15. The tears of the sinful woman who is forgiven (Lk 7:36-50) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today we would like to stop and wonder at an aspect of mercy which is well presented in the passage we heard from the Gospel of Luke. It deals with something that happened to Jesus while he was the guest of a Pharisee called Simon. He wanted to invite Jesus to his home because he had heard others...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Go and do likewise

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 27 April 2016 [Multimedia]     16. Go and do likewise (cf Lk 10, 25-37) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today let us reflect on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37). A doctor of the Law puts Jesus to the test with this question: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 25). Jesus asks him to answer the question himself, and the man answers perfectly: “You shall love the Lord your God...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and reconciliation

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Saturday, 30 April 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy and reconciliation Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today I would like to reflect with you on an important aspect of mercy: reconciliation. God has never failed to offer his forgiveness to men and women: his mercy is felt from generation to generation. Often we believe that our sins distance the Lord from us. In reality, in sinning, we may distance...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The little lost sheep

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 4 May 2016 [Multimedia]   17. The little lost sheep (cf Lk 15, 1:7) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! We are all familiar with the image of the Good Shepherd with the little lost lamb on his shoulders. This icon has always been an expression of Jesus’ care for sinners and of the mercy of God who never resigns himself to the loss of anyone. The parable is told by Jesus to make us understand that his closeness to...

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Pope Francis General Audience, The Merciful Father

    POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 11 May 2016 [Multimedia]       18. The Merciful Father (cf Lk 15,11-32) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today this audience is taking place in two locations: as there was the risk of rain, the sick are in the Paul VI Hall and following us on the maxi screen; two places but one audience. Let’s greet the sick in the Paul VI Hall. We will reflect today on the Parable of the Merciful Father....

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy like piety

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Saturday, 14 May 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy like piety Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! It is not a very nice day, but you are brave and you came have come despite the rain. Thank you! This audience is taking place in two locations: the sick are in the Paul VI Hall because of the rain. They are more comfortable there and are following us on the jumbo screen; and we are here. We are together... and I...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Poverty and Mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 18 May 2016 [Multimedia]   19. Poverty and Mercy (cf Lk 16:19-31) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! I should like to pause with you today on the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus. The lives of these two people seem to run on parallel tracks: their life status is opposite and not at all connected. The gate of the rich man’s house is always closed to the poor man, who lies outside it, seeking to eat the...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Prayer as a source of mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 25 May 2016 [Multimedia]     Prayer as a source of mercy (cfr Lk 18:1-8) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! The Gospel parable which we have just heard (cf. Lk 18:1-8) contains an important teaching: we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (v. 1). This means, then, pray constantly, not just when I feel like it. No, Jesus says that we ought “always to pray and not lose heart”. And he offers the example of...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Humble prayer obtains mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 1st June 2016 [Multimedia]     21. Humble prayer obtains mercy (cf Lk 18:9-14) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Last Wednesday we listened to the parable of the judge and the widow, on the need to pray with perseverance. Today, with another parable, Jesus wants to show us the right attitude for prayer and for invoking the mercy of the Father; how one must pray; the right attitude for prayer. It is the parable of the...

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Pope Francis General Audience: The first sign of Mercy: Cana

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 8 June 2016 [Multimedia]     22. The first sign of Mercy: Cana (Jn 2:1-11) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Morning! Before beginning the catechesis, I should like to greet a group of couples who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversaries. They really are the “good wine” of the family! Yours is a witness that newlyweds — whom I will greet afterwards — and young people must learn from. It is a beautiful testimony....

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy is Light

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 15 June 2016 [Multimedia]     23. Mercy is light (cf. Lk 18:35-43) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! One day Jesus, approaching the City of Jericho, performed a miracle by restoring sight to a blind man who was out begging on the street (cf. Lk 18:35-43). Today we would like to grasp the significance of this sign because it touches us directly. Luke the Evangelist says that this blind man was sitting by the...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and conversion

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Saturday, 18 June 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy and conversion (cf. Lk 24:45-48) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! After his Resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to his disciples before ascending to the glory of the Father. The Gospel passage that we have just heard (Lk 24:45-48) recounts one of these manifestations, in which the Lord indicates the fundamental content of the preaching that...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy purifies the heart

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 22 June 2016 [Multimedia]     Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean” (Lk 5:12) is the request that we heard addressed to Jesus by a leper. This man did not ask only to be healed, but to be “made clean”, that is, wholly restored, in body and in heart. Indeed, leprosy was considered a form of a curse of God, of profound uncleanliness. A leper had to stay away from everyone; he could...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Works of Mercy

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Thursday, 30 June 2016 [Multimedia]     Works of Mercy (cfr Mt 25:31-46) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! How many times, during these first months of the Jubilee, have we heard about the works of mercy! Today the Lord invites us to make a serious examination of conscience. Indeed, it is good to never forget that mercy is not an abstract word, but it is a way of life: a person can...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Journey to Poland, 31st World Youth Day

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 3 August 2016 [Multimedia]   Journey to Poland, 31st World Youth Day Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today I should like to reflect briefly on the Apostolic Journey to Poland that I made in recent days. The occasion for the Journey was World Youth Day, 25 years after the historic Day celebrated in Chęstochowa shortly after the fall of the “Iron Curtain”. In these 25 years Poland has changed, Europe has changed and...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Compassion for a mother

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 10 August 2016 [Multimedia]   25. Compassion for a mother (cf Lk 7:11-17) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! The passage from the Gospel of Luke that we have listened to (7:11-17) presents us with a truly great miracle of Jesus: the resurrection of a young man. However, the heart of this narrative is not the miracle, but Jesus’ tenderness toward the mother of this young man. Here, mercy takes the form of great...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy as the instrument of Communion

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 17 August 2016 [Multimedia]   26. Mercy as the instrument of Communion (cf Mt 14:13-21) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today we wish to reflect upon the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. At the beginning of the narrative given by Matthew (cf. 14:13-21), Jesus has just received word of the death of John the Baptist, and he crosses the lake by boat in search of a “lonely place apart” (v. 13). The...

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Pope Francis General Audience

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 24 August 2016 [Multimedia]   I had prepared the Catechesis for today, as for all Wednesdays during this Year of Mercy, focusing on the closeness of Jesus. However, on hearing the news of the earthquake that struck central Italy, which has devastated entire areas and left many wounded, I cannot fail to express my heartfelt sorrow and spiritual closeness to all those present in the zones affected. I also express my condolences to...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy gives dignity

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 31 August 2016 [Multimedia]   27. Mercy gives dignity (cf Mt 9:20-22) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! The Gospel passage we have heard presents us with a figure who stands out because of her faith and courage. This is the woman whom Jesus healed of a hemorrhage (cf. Mt 9:20-22). Passing through the crowd, she approaches Jesus from behind in order to touch the hem of his garment. “For she said to herself: ‘If I...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Mercy saves

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 7 September 2016 [Multimedia]   28. Mercy saves (cf Mt 11,2-6) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! We have listened to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew (11:2-6). The evangelist’s intention is that of making us enter more deeply into the mystery of Jesus, in order to grasp his goodness and his mercy. The scene is as follows: while John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him a very...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and Redemption

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Saturday, 10 September 2016 [Multimedia]   Mercy and Redemption Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! The passage that we have heard speaks of God’s mercy which is implemented in the Redemption, that is, in the salvation which we were given with the Blood of his Son Jesus (cf. 1 Pet 1:18-21). The word “redemption” is not often used, yet it is fundamental because it indicates the most radical liberation...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Learn from me

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 14 September 2016 [Multimedia]   29. Learn from me (cf Mt 11:28-30) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! During this Jubilee we have reflected many times on the fact that Jesus expresses himself with unique tenderness, a sign of God’s presence and goodness. Today we shall pause on a moving Gospel passage (cf. Mt 11:28-30), in which Jesus says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Merciful like the Father

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 21 September 2016 [Multimedia]     30. Merciful like the Father (cf Lk 6:36-38) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! We have heard the passage from the Gospel of Luke (6:36-38) that inspired the motto of this extraordinary Holy Year: Merciful like the Father. The complete phrase reads: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (v. 36). It is not a catchphrase, but a life commitment. To understand...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Forgiveness on the Cross

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 28 September 2016 [Multimedia]   31. Forgiveness on the Cross (cfr Lk 23:39-43) Dear Brother and Sisters, Good morning! The words that Jesus pronounces during his Passion find their peak in forgiveness. Jesus forgives: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). These are not only words, they become a concrete act of forgiveness offered to the “good thief” who was beside Him. Saint Luke writes of the two...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Apostolic Journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 5 October 2016 [Multimedia]     Apostolic Journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! This past weekend I made an Apostolic Journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan. I thank the Lord for granting me this visit, and I renew the expression of my gratitude to the civil and religious authorities of these two countries, in particular to the Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II — his testimony did my heart...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Corporal and spiritual works of mercy

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 12 October 2016 [Multimedia]   32. Corporal and spiritual works of mercy Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! In the preceding catechesis, we delved a little deeper into the great mystery of God’s mercy. We reflected on the Father’s action in the Old Testament and then, in the Gospel account, we saw how Jesus, in his words and actions, is the Incarnation of Mercy. He, in return, taught his disciples: “Be merciful, even as your...

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Pope Francis General Audience: Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 19 October 2016 [Multimedia]   33. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! One of the consequences of what we call “well-being” is that it leads people to close in on themselves, and become insensitive to the needs of others. It does everything to deceive them by presenting ideals of ephemeral life, which later vanish after a few years, as though our life were a fashion to follow and change at...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Mercy and dialogue

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE Saturday, 22 October 2016 [Multimedia]     Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters:  Throughout this Jubilee Year, we have reflected on God’s mercy and our own responsibility, as followers of Jesus, to be “merciful like the Father”.  In this light, we now turn to the dialogue of Jesus and the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:6-15).  Through dialogue, in fact, we come to know and respect others; we come to see...

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Pope Francis General Audience

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Wednesday, 26 October 2016 [Multimedia]     Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now consider two particular corporal works of mercy: welcoming the stranger and clothing the naked. Jesus mentions both of these in connection with the Last Judgement (cf. Mt25:35-36). Nowadays, the “stranger” is often the immigrant in our midst. In every age, the phenomenon of immigration calls for a...

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Pope Francis General Audience: to visit the sick and the imprisoned

POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 9 November 2016 [Multimedia]       35. To visit the sick and the imprisoned Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Jesus’ life, especially during the three years of his public ministry, was a continual encounter with people. Among them, the sick had a special place. How many pages of the Gospel tell of these encounters! The paralytic, the blind man, the leper, the possessed man, the epileptic, and the countless...

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Pope Francis Jubilee Audience: Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

    EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY POPE FRANCIS JUBILEE AUDIENCE St Peter's Square Saturday, 12 November 2016 [Multimedia]     Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters: In this, the last of our special Saturday Audiences for the Holy Year of Mercy, I would like to stress the importance of inclusion. God’s mercy, which excludes no one, challenges us to be merciful and open to the needs of others, especially the poor and all those who are weary and burdened. We, who have...

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