The wait is over! Pope Francis' must-read new book 'The Name of God is Mercy' is available

The pontiff's new book is a collection of memorable comments and answers Pope Francis gave during interviews.

Pope Francis' new book, "Who am I to Judge," is a book-length interview of the pontiff by journalist Andrea Tornielli, who was responsible for posing the question about homosexuality that led Pope Francis to respond, "who am I to judge?"

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "The Name of God is Mercy" is composed of nine chapters with a foreward by Tornielli and concludes with an appendix Misericordiae vultus, the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

In the foreward, Tornielli wrote that the book is meant to "reveal the heart of Francis and his vision." He wanted to ask the pontiff about mercy and forgiveness, "to analyze what those words mean to him, as a man and a priest."

When asked about his experience as a confessor to homosexuals and about his "who am I to judge" comment, Pope Francis responded: "On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?

"I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalized.

"I am glad that we are talking about 'homosexual people' because before all else comes the individual person, in his wholeness and dignity. And people should not be defined only by their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love.

"I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it."

Vatican Radio reported several extracts from "The Name of God is Mercy" were made available by the publisher, Piemme, prior to the official release.

One such extract is titled "Pope John Paul I: 'engraved in dust'" and reads: "The Holy Father also remembers being touched by the writings of his predecessor Pope John Paul I, Albino Luciani. 'There is the homily when Alibio Luciani said he had been chosen because the Lord preferred certain things not to be engraved in bronze or marble but in the dust, so that if the writing had remained, it would have been clear that the merit was all and only God's. He, the bishop and future Pope John Paul I, called himself 'dust.'

"I have to say that when I speak of this, I always think of what Peter told Jesus on the Sunday of his resurrection, when he met him on his own, a meeting hinted at in the Gospel of Luke. What might Peter have said to the Messiah upon his resurrection from the tomb? Might he have said that he felt like a sinner?

"He must have thought of his betrayal, of what had happened a few days earlier when he pretended three times not to recognise Jesus in the courtyard of the High Priest's house. He must have thought of his bitter and public tears.

"If Peter did all of that, if the gospels describe his sin and denials to us, and if despite all this Jesus said [to him], 'tend my sheep' (John 21), I don't think we should be surprised if his successors describe themselves as sinners. It is nothing new." If you like the small extract here, please consider purchasing the book, which can be found anywhere books are sold.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online