On Friday evening Pope Francis traveled out of the Vatican to hear confessions and preside over a penitential service at St. Pius V Parish in Rome.
Choosing the theme “Walking in the New Life,” the pope stressed that the Lenten journey is a moment of interior reflection and transformation and that God never tires of forgiving.
The pope punctuated his homily several times with off-the-cuff remarks. At one point he turned to the faithful and asked them to repeat in unison: “God never tires of forgiving.”
The Holy Father implored the assembly to not “renounce God’s forgiveness, the sacrament of reconciliation,” stressing that it is “not a practice of devotion but the foundation of Christian existence.”
“It is not a question of knowing how to express sins well but of recognizing ourselves as sinners and throwing ourselves into the arms of Jesus crucified to be freed. It is not a moralistic gesture but the resurrection of the heart,” the pope continued.
Friday’s homily was the first public address in recent weeks, besides the past two Sunday Angeluses, that the pope delivered without having to rely on an aide to read.
The 87-year-old pontiff spoke for more than 15 minutes and seemed to be in better form nearly two weeks after the Holy See Press Office first announced that he was recovering from “mild flu” symptoms.
The pope’s visit to St. Pius V Parish, which sits about two miles from the Vatican, opened the 11th edition of the Lenten initiative “24 Hours for the Lord.”
This annual celebration, which the pope established in 2014, is promoted by the Dicastery for Evangelization and is held on the eve of the fourth Sunday in Lent, or Laetare Sunday.
This year is the second time the pope will preside over the event outside of the Vatican.