Be reconciled to God, Pope tells jubilee pilgrims

May 02, 2016

On April 30, Pope Francis held his fifth special Saturday audience for pilgrims who have come to Rome for the extraordinary jubilee year of mercy.

“By our efforts alone, we are unable to reconcile with God,” the Pope told the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square on April 30. “Sin is truly an expression of the refusal of His love that consequently locks us within ourselves in the illusion that we have found greater freedom and autonomy.”

He continued:

Let yourselves be reconciled to God! This is the cry with which the Apostle Paul addresses the first Christians at Corinth. Today it holds the same force and conviction for all of us. This Jubilee of Mercy is a time of reconciliation for all … May this Holy Year be the favorable time to rediscover our need of the Father's tenderness and closeness so that we might return to Him with all our heart.

Following his catechesis, Pope Francis spoke to members of police, security, and military forces who had gathered in Rome for the jubilee.

“Be instruments of reconciliation, bridge builders, and sowers of peace,” he told them. “You were called not only to prevent, manage, and end conflicts, but also to contribute to the construction of an order based on truth, justice, love, and freedom.”

 

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Further information:

• Holy Year of Mercy - Jubilee audience - 2016.04.30 (YouTube Vatican)
• L’Udienza Giubilare (Holy See Press Office)
• Jubilee Audience: Holy Year for Reconciliation with the Father (Holy See Press Office)