It's time for earthly justice to
show God's mercy, Pope Francis says in a new book presented in
Rome Tuesday with comedian and director Roberto Benigni among
those on hand.
Among other things, Francis says in The Name of God Is
Mercy, it must also cover the treatment of gays, who must not be
marginalised.
The pontiff also takes another swipe at the corrupt, saying
that they "lose their dignity and should be ashamed".
"Yes, I believe this is the time of mercy," Francis says in
the book, published in 86 countries, which can be seen as a
manifesto for the Roman Catholic Jubilee of Mercy the pontiff is
spearheading.
"The Church shows its maternal face to suffering humanity,"
the pope says in the book written with Vaticanist Andrea
Tornielli and published by Piemme in Italy at the price of 15
euros for its 120 pages.
"It doesn't wait for the wounded to knock on its door, it
goes out looking for them in the street, takes them in, embraces
them, tends to them, makes them feel loved".
Francis says that "mercy is God's ID card".
He says that priests, when they confess people, must be
"tender" with them and not "push away people who are suffering".
As part of this inclusiveness, Francis says homosexuals
are loved by God and must not be marginalised.
"First and foremost I prefer to speak of 'homosexual
people': first comes the person, in his or her fullness and
dignity. And a person is not defined by their sexual orientation
alone: let's not forget that we are all creatures loved by God,"
Francis said.
"I prefer it if homosexual people come to confession, if
they remain close to God, if we can pray together," he
continued.
Francis also returned to his famous phrase 'who am I to
judge?', which for many signaled a turning point in the Church's
attitude towards the homosexual community.
"On that occasion I said: if a person is gay, seeks the
Lord and is of good will, who am I to judge? I paraphrased from
memory the catechism of the Catholic Church, which explains that
these people must be treated with sensitivity and not
marginalised," he said.
Earthly justice is more just if it is applied with mercy,
according to Francis.
"A new awareness is emerging even within earthly justice,
in judicial norms," the pope said.
"Think how much the global consciousness that rejects
capital punishment has grown. Think of the efforts to
reintegrate prisoners into society so that, once they have paid
off their debt with justice, those who have made a mistake can
find work more easily and not remain on the margins of society,"
he continued.
"We need to help those who have fallen to get back onto
their feet," Francis said.
"God forgives everything, he offers a new possibility to
everyone, he grants his mercy to all those who ask for it. We
are the ones who don't know how to forgive," he concluded.
Oscar winner Benigni, a practising Catholic known for his
public readings of Dante, praised Francis as a man full of
mercy.
Benigni - who joked that he had wanted to be pope when he
was a little boy - joined Vatican Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin and rehabilitated Chinese prisoner, Zhang Agostino
Jianqing.
Benigni said Francis was always ready to help the poor and
marginalised, and that he could "sell mercy by the quarter
pound".
Benigni, who won his Oscar for Life Is Beautiful, said he
felt moved to be part of the launch of the book and joked that
he had hoped to become the pope when he was young.
"When people asked me what I wanted to be when I was older,
I would say: the pope. But everyone would start laughing so I
understood that I had to become a comedian," he said.
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