The Name of God Is Mercy
A Conversation with Andrea Tornielli
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pope Francis invites all humanity to an intimate and personal dialogue on the subject closest to his heart: mercy.
“Moving . . . [Pope Francis] opens the sacred space of his conscience to explain how he came to center his ministry, and now his papacy, around mercy.”—James Carroll, The New Yorker
“The name of God is mercy. There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand.”—Pope Francis
In this conversation with Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli, Francis explains—through memories from his youth and moving anecdotes from his experiences as a pastor—why “mercy is the first attribute of God.” God “does not want anyone to be lost. His mercy is infinitely greater than our sins,” he writes. As well, the Church cannot close the door on anyone, Francis asserts—on the contrary, its duty is to go out into the world to find its way into the consciousness of people so that they can assume responsibility for, and move away from, the bad things they have done.
Clear and profound, The Name of God Is Mercy resonates with this desire to reach all those who are looking for meaning in life, a road to peace and reconciliation, and the healing of physical and spiritual wounds.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pope Francis proclaimed 2016 "the extraordinary jubilee year of mercy"; in this small, persuasive book, he explains that "we need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy." The first two-thirds consists of questions posed by Andrea Tornielli, a Vatican journalist, and answered by Francis. Tornielli's questions range in tone from catechism ("Why are we sinners?") to eliciting Francis's personal and pastoral experiences, as well as questions that clarify his theology and vision for the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis quotes saints, Scripture, and his papal forefathers in the beautiful book, with endpapers that repeat the title in many languages. The pope briefly addresses homosexuality and the ecumenism of mercy throughout the world's religions; he more fully considers mercy in relation to compassion, scholarship, confession, and justice, juxtaposing mercy and corruption most profoundly. The last third of the book presents his proclamation about the year of mercy, delivered in March of 2015, in all its poetry, clarity, and appeal: "Let us live this jubilee intensely..."
Customer Reviews
Laity
The is a thing of living beauty. Full of inspiration