THE JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY 1 AND RESERVED SINS

Abstract

Right from the beginning of his pontificate, the theme of mercy has occupied a central place in Pope Francis' speeches. In his first Angelus Message, he stressed that God is never tired of forgiving us. Rather, it is we who are tired of asking for his mercy. In order to give this theme of mercy a special boost, on April 11, 2015, Pope Francis promulgated a bull, Misericordia Vultus, to proclaim the extra-ordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.3 The Jubilee of Mercy is extra-ordinary because Jubilee Years in the Church are usually celebrated every twenty five years to commemorate the Year of the Lord. So we were not to expect another Jubilee Year until 2025. But for Pope Francis, we cannot wait till then because of the urgency of proclaiming the Lord's mercy in a special way.