Vatican City, 9 February 2016 (VIS) –
"Yours is a tradition of forgiving, of granting forgiveness",
said Pope Francis to Friars Minor Capuchin from all over the world
who participated in the Mass celebrated at the Altar of the Cathedra
in St. Peter's Basilica, on the occasion of the translation of the
relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and St. Leopold Mandic.
"There are great confessors among
you: it is because they consider themselves sinners … and before
God's greatness then continually pray, 'Hear us, Lord, and forgive'.
And because they know how to pray, they know how to forgive; on the
contrary, when one forgets the need to ask forgiveness, slowly one
forgets God. … The humble, he who considers himself a sinner, is a
great forgiver in the confessional", remarked the Holy Father in
his homily.
"I speak to you as a brother, and
in you I would like to speak to all confessors, especially in this
Year of Mercy: the confessional is for forgiveness. And if you cannot
give absolution – let us make this assumption – please, do not
punish. The person who comes to you does so in search of consolation,
forgiveness, peace in his soul; to find a father who embraces him and
says, 'God loves you', and who makes him feel this. And, although I
am sorry to say this, but many people say, and I think the majority
of us have heard this, 'I never go to confess because once they asked
me these questions, and they did this...'. Please".
"But you Capuchins have this
special gift of the Lord: forgiveness. I ask you: never tire of
forgiving. …There are many languages in life: the language of
words, and there are also languages of gestures. If a person comes to
me, to the confessional, it is because he or she has a burden they
want to remove. … If they come it is because they wish to change,
to be another person, and they say so through the gesture of coming.
It is not necessary to ask questions: 'But you...?'. If a person
comes it is because in their soul they do not want to continue. But
very often they are unable to stop, because they are conditioned by
their psychology, their life, their situation".
The Holy Father concluded by
emphasising that forgiveness is "a seed, a caress from God",
and urged the Capuchins to trust in the Lord as they have the charism
of confessors. "Renew this always", he said. "And be
great forgivers, because those who do not know how to forgive end up
… accusing. And who is the great accuser, in the Bible? The devil!
Either do the work of Jesus, who forgave giving His life … or do
the work of the devil who condemns and accuses. I don't know what
else to say to you. In you I say to everyone, to all the priests who
go to confess. And if they do not feel like doing so, may they be
humble and say, 'No, no, I will celebrate Mass, clean the floor, I
will do everything but not confess, because I don't know how to do it
well'. And ask the Lord for the grace, the grace I ask for each one
of you, for all of you, for all confessors, and for me too".