Pope places jubilee year under protection of Our Lady of Mercy

May 11, 2015

Pope Francis has placed the upcoming extraordinary jubilee year of mercy under the maternal protection of Our Lady of Mercy.

In a May 10 letter to the bishop of Savona-Noli, Italy, Pope Francis recalled that in the sixteenth century, Our Lady appeared to Blessed Antonio Botta, a peasant, asking for repentance and conversion and concluding with the words, “mercy not justice,” an “exhortation more relevant than ever for our time, which is in a particular way a time of mercy.”

Stating that the “spiritual and corporal works of mercy are inseparable,” the Pope recalled the “cascade of grace from heaven” at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Savona.

Pope Francis also recalled that Pope Pius VII, imprisoned by Napoleon, vowed to crown the image of Our Lady of Mercy upon his release and did so on May 10, 1815.

“The Mother of Mercy is always close and helps all her children who are in danger and who, like many today, suffer discrimination and persecution,” Pope Francis added.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Lettera del Santo Padre Francesco al Vescovo di Savona-Noli in occasione del Bicentenario dell’Incoronazione di Nostra Signora di Misericordia (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope sends Message to celebrate Our Lady of Mercy (Vatican Radio)
• Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Misericordia (Wikipedia)