Vatican City, Nov 5, 2013 / 00:10 am
At a special Mass honoring all of the bishops and cardinals who have died during the past year, Pope Francis emphasized that nothing can separate us from the love of our merciful God.
"It is not by chance that Jesus wanted to preserve the wounds on his hands to make us feel his mercy. This is our strength and our hope!" the Pope said during his homily at a Nov. 4 Mass at the Altar of the Chair inside St. Peter's Basilica.
In the month of November, "which is marked by the memory of the faithful departed," reflected the Pope, "we remember our brother Cardinals and Bishops from around the world who have returned to the Father's house during the past year."
Turning to the day's readings, Pope Francis centered his homily on the words of St. Paul to the Romans, in which the apostle affirms that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."