Scottish Catholic Observer

We can all be a sign of the power of God’s love to bring reconciliation and peace, Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square this morning.

“Fifty years ago, the Second Vatican Council reminded us that the Church is called to be, in Christ, the visible sign of God’s merciful love for the entire human family,” the Holy Father said during his weekly general audience address. “Each of us, by practicing charity, mercy and forgiveness, can be a sign of the power of God’s love to transform hearts and to bring reconciliation and peace.”

The Pope last week opened the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, during which Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence by making a pilgrimage to one of a number of Holy Doors that will be opened across the world, including one at each cathedral in Scotland.

“By passing through the Door of Mercy during this Holy Year, we show our desire to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s redemptive love,” he said. “Jesus tells us that he himself is the door to eternal life (cf. Jn 10:9), and he asks us, through genuine conversion, to open the doors of our hearts to a more sincere love of God and neighbour.

“A special sign of grace in this Jubilee of Mercy is the Dacrament of Penance, in which Christ invites us to acknowledge our sinfulness, to experience his mercy, and to receive the grace which can make us ever more effective signs of his reconciling love at work in our world.”

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