The Pope emeritus’ words on mercy in Saint John Paul II

By Vatican News

"The whole of the Pope’s life was centered on subjectively assimilating the objective center of the Christian faith – the teaching of salvation – and allowing others to accept it.”

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI wrote those words in a letter for the centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul II.

"Thanks to the risen Christ, the mercy of God is for all", recalls the Pope emeritus. He adds that "everyone must know that the mercy of God will eventually prove stronger than our weakness".

“It is here,” said the Pope emeritus, “that we must find the inner unity of John Paul II’s message and the fundamental intentions of Pope Francis: contrary to what is sometimes said, John Paul II is not a moral rigorist. By demonstrating the essential importance of divine mercy, he gives us the opportunity to accept the moral demands placed on man, even though we can never fully satisfy them. Our moral efforts are undertaken in the light of the mercy of God, which reveals itself as strength that heals our weakness.”