Pope: have the courage to take up God's offer of love

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged Catholics who have strayed from their Church to have the courage to return.
The Pope’s appeal came during his homily as he celebrated Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, taking possession of the Cathedral of Rome.

Listen to Linda Bordoni’s report…

Speaking to thousands of people gathered to celebrate Mass in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope said “However many mistakes and sins there may be in our life(…) God is waiting; he asks only the courage to go to him”.
The Pope’s words of encouragement and hope came as he was officially installed as bishop of Rome in his Cathedral.
As he himself, again and again has underlined since his election, Francis’ prime title is Bishop of Rome. And yet again on Sunday, both at noon during the Regina Coeli prayer in St. Peter’s Square and in the afternoon during the Mass, he asked the faithful to pray for him in his journey as Rome’s bishop.
And with the warmth, simplicity and directness that seem to be his trademark, Francis said:
"We hear many offers from the world around us – he said - but let us take up God's offer instead: his is a caress of love. For God – he continued - we are not numbers, we are important, indeed we are the most important thing to him. Even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart".
And Pope Francis concluded his moving homily with a tribute to the theme of mercy on the day in which we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Dear brothers and sisters – he said – let us be enveloped by the mercy of God; let us trust in his patience; let us find the courage to return to his house and allow ourselves to be loved by him and to encounter his mercy in the sacraments…
“We will feel his tenderness, we will feel his embrace, and we too will become more capable of mercy patience, forgiveness and love…”
Tens of thousands of people who could not get into the packed basilica gave the smiling Francis a rousing welcome outside as he rode around the large square in front of the church in an open jeep.
They applauded as he unveiled a plaque re-naming the square after the Blessed Pope John Paul II.