Pope Francis salutes the missionaries of mercy as a bearers of the forgiveness of God during the Jubilee of Rome

CNA Newsroom, March 29, 2025/10:00

While hundreds of Mercy missionaries met in Rome this weekend, Pope Francis congratulated their distinctive ministry for forgiveness and reconciliation which continues to flourish in the world.

About 500 priests participate in a special jubilee dedicated to their role as part of the Jubilee de l’Espoir in 2025.

In a message addressed to these priests and wrote when he was still in the hospital, Pope Francis expressed his “gratitude and encouragement” for their work as a special confessors who have faculties to absolve certain sins generally reserved for the Holy See.

“By your service,” wrote the pontiff, “you testify to the paternal face of God, infinitely great lover, who calls everyone to conversion and constantly renews us with his forgiveness.”

The gathering from March 28 to 30 of the missions included training sessions, a common prayer and a pilgrimage through the holy door of the Saint-Pierre basilica.

Pope Francis has thought about the deep link between mercy and hope in his message. “Conversion and forgiveness are the two caresses with which the Lord wipes each tear of our eyes,” he said. “These are the hands with which the church kisses us sinners; These are the feet on which we walk in our terrestrial pilgrimage. ”

The Holy Father encouraged these priests to maintain a compassionate approach in their ministry, urging them to be “attentive to listening, ready to welcome and accompany to those who wish to renew their lives and return to the Lord”.

First for the first time during the extraordinary jubilee of Mercy of 2016, these priests saw their mandate extended twice by Pope Francis. Their number has increased considerably, now exceeding 1,250 worldwide, with around 100 serving in the United States.

In SPES Non -ConfundationThe Papal Taurus of Indiction for the Year of the Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis wrote that the missionaries of Mercy should “exercise their ministry by reviving hope and by offering forgiveness each time a sinner comes to them with an open heart and a penitent spirit”.

The pontiff concluded his message to the missionaries with a blessing and his usual request: “Please, don’t forget to pray for me.”