Pope Francis and Mercy

<p><strong>This theological study examines how Pope Francis lives out mercy in his own Petrine ministry and calls for it to be lived out by the people of God.</strong></p><p>The centerpiece of Pope Francis's pontificate from the very first days has been his proclamation of the importance of the mercy of God. While facing global problems of climate change terror political destabilization refugees and dire poverty the Holy Father has articulated the mission of the Church through mercy love and forgiveness to reveal the compassion of God for all and particularly for those most vulnerable existing on the margins of society. In this compelling study Gill Goulding CJ examines for the first time the critical and determinative role of mercy in Francis's papacy using his homilies allocutions encyclicals and addresses as primary sources. Goulding traces the theme of mercy in Francis's thought attending to its Ignatian foundations and its Christological Trinitarian and ecclesiological significance for the Church today particularly the impact of his reappropriation and elevation of the discourse of mercy on the work of the Curia in Rome.</p><p>Goulding enters into dialogue with other theologians including Romano Guardini Walter Kasper and Hans Urs von Balthasar to demonstrate a continuity between Francis and his predecessors especially Benedict XVI in this area of mercy. In addition Goulding argues that the influence of St. Ignatius Loyola in particular his <em>Spiritual Exercises</em> needs to be taken into account paying special attention to Francis's call for the practice of discernment. Throughout <em>Pope Francis and Mercy</em> Goulding lays the groundwork for future research and suggests a wider appreciation of the necessary tools to enable an engagement with mercy in our contemporary world.</p>