Pope Leo XIV affirmed that God never tires of showing His infinite mercy, and that this mercy gives peace to hearts facing the “fears, anxieties, tensions and wars” of today’s world. The Holy Father sent a video message to participants of the VI World Apostolic Congress of Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania, held June 7-12. The event was “longed for by my venerable predecessor, Saint John Paul II,” he said.
Citing Saint Augustine’s Confessions, the Pope said: “his only hope lies in the immense mercy of God (10, 40). Indeed, it is a source of great joy and true hope to experience God’s mercy toward each of us and how beneficial it is to renew our trust in it.”“The world today, with its many fears, anxieties, tensions and wars, presents an increasingly urgent need for peace in the hearts of individuals and nations,” he continued. “In the midst of the whirlwind of violence that poisons relationships and destroys lives, God’s mercy invites us to enter our hearts with its amazing renewing power,” Pope Leo said. “It is this mercy that can transform our lives, opening the way to love and forgiveness as distinctive features of the face of God manifested through us.”
“God never tires of showing his mercy. His love, as the psalmist says (cf. Psalm 136), endures forever, and how our world cries out for mercy in every area! But the peace we so long for cannot be achieved without mercy,” he stressed. Therefore, Pope Leo encouraged trust “in God’s infinite mercy with our personal commitment to build a more welcoming and merciful society, starting with our families.”
The event in Vilnius is attended by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, local Archbishop, and other figures. Organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, the congress’s motto is “Let us build the City of Mercy.]The world congress is held every three years. Previous editions took place in Apia 2023, Manila 2017, Bogotá 2014, Kraków 2011, and Rome 2008.