Pope Francis on Wednesday said Jesus was not sent to punish sinners but to convert them.
''God did not send His Son to punish sinners or destroy the evil, they are instead invited to convert, to find their way back'', the pontiff said at his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square attended by an estimated 25,000 pilgrims, commenting a passage of the Gospel of Matthew. The pope then spoke about John the Baptist's doubts regarding the mercy preached by Christ described in the passage to warn pilgrims against ''building images of God'' that prevent them from ''tasting his real presence'', using ''God as an idol'' or for ''psychological shelter during difficult times''.
At the end of the general audience, the pope also called on the young to become ''artisans of mercy'' like Mother Teresa, who was revered for her work with the poor in India and proclaimed a saint on Sunday.
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