Pope Francis’ Do’s and Don’ts of Mercy

We’re joining Loyola Press in celebrating the release of The Church of Mercy by Pope Francis, a brand new book documenting Pope Francis’ vision for the Catholic Church in his own words. The book shares the Holy Father’s powerful message of mercy, service and renewal – a message that has captured the attention of Catholic’s and non-Catholic’s alike.Our beloved Pope Francis knows how to tell it like it is. His direct style seems to be one of his most endearing qualities. In fact, his bluntness is so engaging, that even when he is delivering some, a-hem, fraternal correction, it is received by the faithful with joyful cheers. “Thank you sir, may I have another” comes to mind…. He does, however, do so much more than teach through mere words. Through his actions, Pope Francis is showing the world what it means to live out our identity as Catholics – a life of mercy received and given.One of the Holy Father’s favorite subjects is mercy. God’s mercy, and our openness to both receive that mercy and extend that mercy to others, is a frequent topic of his homilies, audiences and other messages. Here are three “don’ts and do’s” of mercy according to Pope Francis.Don’t build walls.In a powerful and convicting morning homily, Pope Francis spoke how evangelization is stifled by those who prefer to build walls which exclude people, rather than having the “Apostolic courage” to go out to those who are on the fringes and take the time to listen to their stories. He warns that “when the Church loses this apostolic courage, she becomes a lifeless Church. Orderly, perhaps — nice, very nice — but barren, because she has lost the courage to go to the outskirts, where there are so many people who are victims of idolatry, worldliness, and weak thought.” In the work of evangelization