Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-travel-to-sweden-for-joint-reforma

Pope Francis to travel to Sweden for joint Reformation commemoration
2016-01-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will travel to Sweden in October for a joint ecumenical commemoration of the start of the Reformation, together with leaders of the Lutheran World Federation and representatives of other Christian Churches.

The event will take place on October 31st in the southern Swedish city of Lund where the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947. While kicking off a year of events to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it will also highlight the important ecumenical developments that have taken place during the past 50 years of dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans

The one-day event will include a common worship service in Lund cathedral based on a Catholic-Lutheran “Common Prayer” liturgical guide, published earlier this month by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

The commemoration in Lund follows on directly from the publication in 2013 of a joint document entitled ‘From Conflict to Communion’, which focuses on the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness. While asking for forgiveness for the divisions of past centuries, it  also seeks to showcase the gifts of the Reformation and celebrate the way Catholics and Lutherans around the world work together on issues of common concern.

Please see below the joint press release from the LWF and the PCPCU on the joint ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation in Lund
 

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http://zenit.org/articles/interview-all-pope-francis-says-does-opens-doors-once-shut-says-christian-leader-in-rome/

INTERVIEW: All Pope Francis Says, Does, Opens Doors Once Shut, Says Christian Leader in Rome
Methodist Reverend Dr. Tim Macquiban Speaks on How Holy Father’s Warmth Witnesses God’s Love for All
January 25, 2016

All Pope Francis says and does is opening doors and witnessing to God’s love reaching out to all.

In an interview with ZENIT last week in Rome, a leader of the Eternal City’s Methodists, Reverend Tim Macquibin, stressed this as he reflected on why praying for Christian unity is critical and how the Holy Father is advancing ecumenical relations.

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which concludes today, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the Methodist pastor also reflects on his hopes for enhanced relations between Catholics and Methodists, reflects on what we have in common, and speaks for a need for not just spiritual ecumenism, but an ‘ecumenism of action.’

Specifically, the Reverend shares on how Methodists and Catholics can share in their common quest for holiness of life.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-ecumenical-vespers-walk-the-way-of

Pope Francis at Ecumenical Vespers: walk the way of unity
2016-01-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis asked for 'mercy and forgiveness' for the way Christians have behaved towards each other, saying we cannot let the weight of past faults continue to contaminate our relationships. The Pope's words came in his homily at an ecumenical celebration of Vespers on Monday evening in the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls marking the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In his prepared remarks, the Holy Father focused on the need for divided Christian communities to walk together in the way of the Lord, in the knowledge that unity is a gift of heaven and in the understanding that all service rendered to the cause of the one Gospel builds up the one true Church and gives glory to the one Lord, Jesus Christ.

“While we journey together toward full communion,” said Pope Francis, “we can begin already to develop many forms of cooperation in order to favor the spread of the Gospel – and walking together, we become aware that we are already united in the name of the Lord.”

Pope Francis placed his reflections in the key of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, saying that as Bishop of Rome, he wanted "to ask for forgiveness for the behaviour of Catholics towards Christians of other Churches" which has not reflected Gospel values. At the same time, he said, "I invite all Catholics to forgive if they - today or in the past - have been offended by other Christians". “In this extraordinary Jubilee year of mercy, we must always keep in mind that there cannot be an authentic search for Christian unity without trusting fully in the Father’s mercy,” he said. “God’s mercy,” the Pope said, “will renew our relationships.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-homily-for-christian-unity-vespers

Pope Francis: homily for Christian Unity Vespers
2016-01-25 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at the closing Vespers of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the Basilica of St. Paul "Outside the Walls" in Rome on Monday evening. Below, please find Vatican Radio's full English translation of the Holy Father's prepared remarks.

*******************************************************
“I am the least of the Apostles … because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace in me was not without effect.” That’s how the Apostle Paul sums up the significance of his conversion. Coming after his dramatic encounter with the Risen Christ on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, it is not primarily a moral conversion but rather an transforming experience of the grace of Christ, and at the same time, a call to the new mission of announcing to everyone the Jesus that he previously persecuted by persecuting the disciples of Christ. At that moment, in fact, Paul understands that there is a real and transcendent union between the eternally living Christ and his followers: Jesus lives and is present in them and they live in him. The vocation to be an Apostle is founded not on Paul’s human merits, which he considers to be ‘the least’ and ‘unworthy’, but rather on the infinite goodness of God who chose him and entrusted him with his ministry
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS-NcleKgP4
Concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2016.01.25

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http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/march-for-life-marks-43rd-anniversary-of-roe-decision-legalizing-abortion.cfm

March for Life marks 43rd anniversary of Roe decision legalizing abortion
By Kurt Jensen Catholic News Service
1.25.2016 2:25 PM ET

CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz
Members of the campus ministries of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y., pray in front of the Supreme Court building during the March for Life in Washington Jan. 22, the 43rd anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion in the U.S. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz) See MARCH-LIFE Jan. 22, 2016.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic admonitions about inclusion mixed with strong political language before the March of Life got underway Jan. 22 in Washington.

At a Jesuit-sponsored Mass for life at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church that morning, Father Paddy Gilger's homily reminded a small group of students that because Jesus made an effort to be inclusive when he chose his disciples, they, too, should be respectful of others' opinions.

"As we join in the fight against the scourge of abortion, our differences remain, and that's OK," he said.

Father Gilger also told the students to combine prayer and penance to create a culture of life. "Our efforts are to be able to create the same amount of space for people to change their hearts."

Later, at the March for Life rally at the Washington Monument, attended by nearly 50,000, Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, stuck to her standard political stump speech.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-iranian-president-rouhani-2

Pope Francis meets Iranian President Rouhani

Today, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Excellency Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States. During the cordial discussions, common spiritual values emerged and reference was made to the good state of relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the life of the Church in the country and the action of the Holy See to favour the promotion of the dignity of the human person and religious freedom. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/27/world/middleeast/pope-francis-hassan-rouhani-meeting.html
Pope Francis and Iranian President Meet at Vatican
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDOJAN. 26, 2016

Short video at the link
http://www.romereports.com/2016/01/26/president-of-iran-to-pope-francis-pray-for-me
President of Iran to Pope Francis: “Pray for me”
2016-01-26

The first meeting between Pope Francis and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was very cordial.

"I hope you feel at home.”

The two leaders had a closed door meeting for about 40 minutes.

The president gave Pope Francis a hand-woven rug, which came from the holy city of Qom.

In return, Pope Francis gave him a medallion and explained its significance.

"It is the figure of Saint Martin, when he was a soldier. He took off his cape to cover a poor person. There is a need for free brotherhood.”

"Thank you, really.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-lent-is-a-favourable-time-for-convers

Pope Francis: 'Lent is a favourable time for conversion"
2016-01-26 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is asking us to live this Lenten period as a favourable time for conversion during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

In his message for Lent entitled “I desire mercy and not sacrifice. The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee” the Pope reiterates the importance of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and condemns the attitude and actions of  the proud, the powerful and the wealthy who refuse to open the doors of their hearts to God and to the poor.

By reflecting upon and putting into practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy – Pope Francis says - Christians will be able to reawaken their consciences which too often have grown dull in the face of poverty.

In his Message for a special Lenten period which takes place this year within the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Pope says that it is a season to be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience the transforming miracle of divine Mercy.

Pointing out that poor have a special place at the heart of the Gospel, he warns of  the “blindness” and of the  “illusion of omnipotence” which often afflicts the rich and powerful who close their hearts to the poor and end up themselves – he says - being the poorest of the poor.

This illusion of omnipotence, the Pope continues – can “likewise take social and political forms as shown by the totalitarian systems of the twentieth century, and in our day by the ideologies of monopolizing thought and techno-science which would make God irrelevant and reduce man to raw material to be exploited”.

The powerful message - presented on Tuesday morning in the Vatican Press Office – calls on believers to practice the works of mercy and to listen to God’s Word.

“Let us not waste this season of Lent – Pope Francis says – so favourable a time for conversion!”.

Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ message for Lent:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/general-audience-god-of-mercy-is-not-indifferent

General Audience: God of Mercy is not indifferent
2016-01-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke about God’s mercy throughout history, and in our own day.
In his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis noted that the Lord always accompanied the people of Israel, and showed how God continues to work in our own time as well.

He pointed to the story of Joseph and his brothers as an example of grace and reconciliation, and said the Jubilee Year of Mercy was a good opportunity to reconcile with family members.

The example of Moses, who led the Israelites from slavery to freedom, shows that “mercy cannot remain indifferent in the face of the suffering of the oppressed, the cry of those subject to violence, reduced to slavery, condemned to death.” Suffering is a reality in every age, a reality that can make us feel impotent, and tempt us to indifference. But, Pope Francis said, “God is not indifferent, He never looks away from human suffering.” The God of mercy hears the groaning of the poor and intervenes to save them, especially by “raising up men and women able to hear the cries of the suffering, and working in favour of the oppressed.”

As Moses was God’s instrument leading the people of Israel to freedom, we too, especially in this Year of Mercy, can be mediators of God’s mercy. “There are so many good things we can do!” the Pope said.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-audience-appeal-for-mideast-christian

Pope Francis: Audience appeal for Mideast Christians
2016-01-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis made a special appeal for suffering Christians in the Middle Ease on Wednesday, during the course of his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square. “God does not remain silent before the suffering and cries of His children,” he said, “nor does He remain silent before injustice and persecution: He rather intervenes and gives, by His mercy, rescue and salvation.”

“God uses patience with the sinner,” the Holy Father continued, “to induce him to conversion, and he searches for the lost sheep, for, “[God] will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:4)”

Pope Francis has been a vocal advocate for the rights of religious minorities around the world, and particularly of Christians in the Middle East, where ancient Christian communities are suffering often brutal and deadly persecution, particularly at the hands of militants fighting for the so-called Islamic State.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/vatican-expresses-hope-for-israelpalestine-and-syr

Vatican expresses hope for Israel/Palestine and Syria peace talks
2016-01-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  The need for “substantive” and “sustained” peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians and the conviction that this week’s peace negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland are the “best chance the International Community has to bring a stable and lasting peace to Syria and to the region:”  those are the key points made by a top Vatican diplomat in an address Tuesday at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the situation in the Middle East.

Direct peace negotiations needed between Israelis, Palestinians

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent ******* of the Holy See to the U.N. in New York, said acts of violence in the Holy Land “continue to spiral, bringing many to doubt seriously the continued validity of the Oslo Accords.”  He called for direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians “with the strong support of the international community.” Such talks, he added, require “courageous decisions from both Parties” and demand “fair mutual concessions.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-promotes-lenten-retreat-for-charitabl

Pope Francis promotes Lenten retreat for charitable groups
2016-01-27 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) During his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis called attention to a Jubilee Year initiative of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, promoting a day of spiritual retreat for persons and groups dedicated to the service of charitable works. These days of retreat, to be offered in each diocese during the coming Lent, will offer an opportunity to reflect on the call to be merciful as the Father is merciful. “I invite you to welcome this initiative,” Pope Francis said, “making use of the suggestions and materials prepared by Cor Unum.”

The day of retreat will have as its theme “Caritas Christi urget nos” (2 Cor 5,14: the love of Christ compels us). In a letter announcing the initiative, Cor Unum suggests that each individual charitable group should celebrate its own day of reflection, citing the Holy Father’s desire that the Jubilee be celebrated in local communities. The letter suggests the retreat be organized in three parts: “a penitential celebration with individual confessions; a time of sharing in group and the Eucharistic celebration.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/27/pope_to_circus_performers_you_are_champions_of_beauty/1204089

Pope to circus performers: you are champions of beauty
27/01/2016 14:23

(Vatican Radio) St. Peter’s Square was transformed on Wednesday into an open-air circus venue, with circus performers from various outfits leaping, flipping and twisting in acrobatic showmanship during the weekly General Audience.

Following their performance, Pope Francis said, “I greet the circus performers and I thank them for their very welcome exhibition.” He went on to say, “You are champions of beauty: you make beauty, and beauty is good for the soul.”
 

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A good read...

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/archbishop-paglia-apostolic-exhortation-to-be-published-by-end-of-march

Archbishop Paglia: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Published By End of March
by Edward Pentin  01/27/2016

The president of the Pontifical Council for the Family has confirmed that Pope Francis’ post-synodal apostolic exhortation devoted to the family will be published by the end of March.
 
Well informed sources have told the Register that the document, which observers believe will probably be released on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, is in its third draft. They also say that the chief drafter is Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández, the rector of the the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires and one of Pope Francis’ closest advisers.

One reliably informed source, a recognized moral theologian who has seen the draft, said he was "deeply disturbed" by the text as it “calls into question the natural moral law”.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-the-christian-has-a-big-heart-that-welcomes-a

Pope: The Christian has a big heart that welcomes all
2016-01-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The heart of the Christian is magnanimous because we were born of a loving Father and our arms should be open wide to welcome everyone with generosity – that’s what the Pope said at Thursday morning’s Mass at the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican. Among those attending the Mass was a number of priests who celebrated with the Pope their 50th year of ordination.

The Christian is a witness to the light of God

"The mystery of God is light" - says Pope Francis - who comments on the day's Gospel in which Jesus says that the lamp does not come "to be put under a bushel, or under the bed, but to be put on the lampstand to illuminate: "

"And this is one of the traits of a Christian who has received the light in Baptism and must give it. That is, the Christian is a witness. Testimony. One of the peculiarities of Christian behavior. A Christian who brings this light, must show it because he is a witness. When a Christian would prefer not to show the light of God but prefers his own darkness, this enters his heart because he is afraid of the light .  And the idols, which are dark, he likes best. So he lacks: he’s missing something and is not a true Christian. Witness: a Christian is a witness. Of Jesus Christ, the Light of God. He has to put that light on the lampstand of his life."

The Christian is magnanimous: loses in order to gain Christ

In the Gospel, Jesus says: "The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you."  “Another trait of the Christian,”  says the Pope, “is magnanimity, because he is the child of a magnanimous father, of great heart."
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-with-president-of-togo

Pope Francis meets with President of Togo
2016-01-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday received the President of the Republic of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, who later met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, who was accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the  Secretary for Relations with States.

A communique from the Holy See Press Office called the meeting “cordial” and said the parties took note of the good relations existing between the Holy See and Togo, and the prospects for their further consolidation. The talks then focused on the contribution of Catholics to the development of the country and the integral progress of the Togolese people, especially in the field of education.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-human-dignity-from-conception-to-natu

Pope Francis: human dignity from conception to natural death
2016-01-28 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday speaking to the members of the Italian Committee for Bioethics, underlined how the Church supports the efforts of civil society to promote, "the search for truth and goodness on complex human and ethical issues".

He told those gathered that the Church had a sensibility to ethical issues adding that “the Church did not claim any privileged voice in this field." But, what he highlighted was the importance of serving man, all men and women, he said, with special attention and care, from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, who are struggling find the their voice.

On this level, he said, “the ecclesial community and civil society meet and are called to cooperate, in accordance with their distinct skills. "

Respect for the human person from conception to natural death

The Pope noted the fact that the Committee "had repeatedly dealt with the respect for the integrity of the human being and the protection of health from conception to natural death, considering the person in his singularity, always as an end and never simply as a means ":
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-meets-with-actor-leonardo-dicaprio
Pope Francis meets with actor Leonardo DiCaprio
2016-01-28 Vatican Radio


http://www.cruxnow.com/life/2016/01/28/the-pope-and-leo-dicaprio-chat-about-the-environment/
The pope and Leo DiCaprio chat about the environment
January 28, 2016

ROME — Oscar-nominated actor Leonardo DiCaprio, long an environmental activist, met a like-minded ally Thursday: Pope Francis.

During the private, 15-minute meeting, DiCaprio gave the pope a book of paintings by 16th-century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.

Pointing to one painting, a reproduction of Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights,” DiCaprio said it had hung over his bed as a child. The triptych, which DiCaprio has referred to in the past, depicts Adam and Eve in the first panel, a teeming landscape in the center panel, and finally a vision of hell.

“As a child I didn’t quite understand what it all meant,” he told Francis, “but through my child’s eyes it represented a planet, the utopia we had been given, the overpopulation, excesses, and the third panel we see a blackened sky that represents so much to me of what’s going in the environment.”

He added that “it represents to me the promise of the future and enlightenment and it is representational of your view here as well.”

DiCaprio also gave Francis a personal check for an undisclosed sum to be used for charitable works that are “close to your heart.”

This is the second such gesture from an American A-lister the pontiff has received in the past week; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, also made a donation when he visited the Vatican last Friday.

The religious leader and the 41-year-old Oscar nominee, up for his performance in “The Revenant,” both have a history of environmental concern. Reflecting that commitment, Francis gave the actor a copy of his encyclical on the care of creation, Laudato Si’.

The pontiff also gave DiCaprio a rosary and asked him to pray for him. As he was leaving, Francis repeated his request, “Don’t forget, pray for me,” to which DiCaprio responded, “I won’t forget.”
 

A short video of the meeting...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z1NGRq-gv0
Leonardo DiCaprio meets the Pope: “Thank you for this private audience” 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-sinners-yes-but-never-corrupt

Pope Francis: Sinners, yes; but never corrupt
2016-01-29 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Let us pray to God that the weakness that leads us to sin will never lead to corruption. This was the theme of Pope Francis homily at daily Mass on Friday morning, a theme he has taken up many times. Beginning with the first reading, which tells the story of David and Bathsheba, the Pope distinguished between regular sinners and those who are corrupt. Unlike regular sinners, the corrupt do not feel the need for forgiveness.

One can sin often, and always return to God seeking forgiveness, never doubting that it will be obtained. It is especially when one becomes corrupt – when one no longer sees the need to be forgiven – that problems begin.

The corrupt feel they don’t need God

This is the attitude King David assumes when he becomes enamoured with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, an army officer fighting on the frontlines. The Pope outlined the story narrated in the Scripture. After David seduced Bathsheba, he found out that she was pregnant, and he hatched a plot to cover-up his adultery. He recalled Uriah from the front and encouraged him to visit his wife. Uriah, though, did not go to his wife, but stayed with the other officers in the king’s palace. David then tried to get him drunk, but this plan also fails.

“This puts David in a difficult position,” the Pope said. “But he says to himself, ‘I can do it.’ He sends a letter, as we read: ‘Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce. Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.’ He condemns him to death. This man, this faithful man [Uriah] – faithful to the law, faithful to his people, faithful to his king – carries his own death sentence.”

The security of corruption
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-meets-with-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-t

Pope meets with Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
2016-01-29 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in the annual Plenary Session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) on Friday in the Vatican.

The CDF is tasked with a range of responsibilities, from determining the doctrinal soundness of theological and catechetical works, to advising and giving judgment on matters relating to areas like medicine and bioethics, to conducting canonical trials in cases of child sex abuse by clergy – work for which the Holy Father had words of praise and encouragement.

Pope Francis focused his broad-ranging remarks around three distinct points: the inter-relatedness of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; the importance of collegiality in ecclesial life and governance; the complementary relationship of charismatic and hierarchical gifts in the life and mission of the Church.

“When, in the evening of life,” said Pope Francis, “it shall be asked of us what we did to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty, equally shall it be asked of us if we helped people find their way out of doubt, if we were committed to welcoming sinners – admonishing or correcting them, if we were capable of combatting ignorance, especially that ignorance which regards Christian faith and the good life.”
 
http://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-congregation-for-doctrine-of-the-faith/
Pope’s Address to Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith
January 29, 2016

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http://www.news.va/en/news/jubilee-audience-mercy-and-mission

Jubilee audience: Mercy and mission
2016-01-30 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) In the first monthly Jubilee audience during this Year of Mercy, the Holy Father on Saturday spoke about the close relationship between mercy and mission.

Recalling the words of Saint John Paul II, the Pope said that his predecessor  “reminded us that the Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy, and leads people to the source of mercy.”

As Christians, Pope Francis said, “we are called to be missionaries of the Gospel.”

He went on to say that just as we naturally seek to share with others the beautiful moments of our lives, we are called also and especially to share the joy of encountering Jesus Christ.

The Pope explained to those gathered in St Peter’s Square that to encounter Jesus was to experience his love, which transforms us and compels us, in turn, to share this love.

The Holy Father stressed that every Christian was the “bearer of Christ” and said that the mercy we receive from the Father is not given solely for our benefit, but for the good of all, by transforming us into instruments, missionaries of mercy.