Pope Francis quotes John Paul I

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis reveals his vision of mercy in a book by the title of “The Name of God is Mercy”.  The book to be released in 86 countries on the 12th of January is the result of a series of interviews with Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli. Several extracts were made available by the publisher, Piemme, ahead of its official release.

Among these there’s one in which the Holy Father recalls how touched he was by the writings of one of his predecessors to the See of Peter, John Paul I, Albino Luciani: “There is the homily when Albino Luciani said he had been chosen because the Lord preferred that certain things not be engraved in bronze or marble but in the dust, so that if the writing had remained, it would have been clear that the merit was only God’s…”

Veronica Scarisbrick brings you the exact words quoted by Pope Francis. They were pronounced by  Pope John Paul I during his first weekly general audience with the faithful gathered around him on Wednesday 6th of September 1978. For the record it was during the first of four such encounters during his thirty- three day pontificate. 

 ‘Before God, the right position is that of Abraham, who said: "I am only dust and ashes before you, O Lord!" We must feel small before God. When I say, "Lord I believe" I am not ashamed to feel like a child before his mother; one believes in one's mother; I believe in the Lord, in what he has revealed to me. The commandments are a little more difficult to observe; but God gave them to us not to satisfy a whim, not in his own interest, but only in our interest.’

Listen to the voice of Pope John Paul I in a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick: