“Let us bring God's forgiveness back to the heart of the Church!” This is what the Pope warned about this Friday afternoon when he attended the Mass of Repentance for Reconciliation in the Roman Parish of St. Pius V, on the occasion of the “24 Hours.” “Fasting initiative promoted by the Department for the Evangelization of the Lord.” Francis, who appears to have recovered from a cold, emphasized in his homily: “God never tires of forgiving. He forgives everything.”
Mario Galgano – Vatican City
A large crowd – about 900 faithful – received the guest from the Vatican: a few hundred meters from the Vatican walls is the parish of St. Pius V, where Francis presided over the penitential ceremony on Friday afternoon. A large number of families, scouts, and believers were present in front of the church and greeted the Pope. There were about 600 parishioners in the church who celebrated the Penitential Mass with the leader of the Catholic Church, and some were then allowed to go to confession before the Pope.
Believers and the Pope
In his sermon, the Pope spoke about the importance of divine forgiveness:
“Brothers and sisters, what is the way to resume a new life? It is the path of God's forgiveness. Because divine forgiveness does just that: it makes us new again. It purifies us internally and restores us to the state of rebirth in baptism.” This led to a warning specially recommended by priests:
“Let us not abandon God’s forgiveness, the sacrament of reconciliation: it is not a devotional practice, but the foundation of Christian existence; It is not a matter of overlooking our sins, but of recognizing ourselves as sinners and throwing ourselves into the arms of the crucified Jesus to be set free; It is not morality, but the resurrection of the heart. So let us go to obtain God’s forgiveness, and let us who distribute it feel that we are givers of the joy of the Father who finds his lost son. We feel that the hands we place on the heads of believers are filled with the mercy of Jesus, who transforms the wounds of sin into channels of mercy. “We feel that the ‘forgiveness and peace’ we proclaim are the caresses of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of believers.”
“Let us bring forgiveness back to the heart of the Church.”
“Let us forgive, dear fellow priests, and find ourselves again; May we always grant forgiveness to those who ask and help those who are afraid to approach with confidence the mystery of healing and joy. Let us bring God's forgiveness back to the center of the church. And you, dear fellow priests, do not ask too much!” Pope Francis said in his homily during a penitential celebration in the Roman parish of St. Pius V. “If anyone thinks that this sin is very bad, let him repeat with me: And he said to the faithful: 'The Lord never tires of Forgiveness.
At the end of the Reconciliation Ceremony, the Pope administered the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) to some of the parishioners of St. Pius V as a “lay priest.” The Pope sat on a chair and listened to the confessions of about ten believers.
(Vatican News)
Pope's visit
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