Cardinal Vincent Nichols comments on Pope’s Apostolic Letter

(Vatican Radio)  Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, says the main headline in Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter issued this week is how "it reinforces the fundamental shape and purpose of the reform that he is persistently putting forward for all of us." Entitled Misericordia et Misera (Mercy and Misery), the Letter was published at the close of the Year of Mercy and its central message is that "the door of mercy remains wide open" despite the end of Jubilee Year. Cardinal Nichols was interviewed by Susy Hodges.

Listen to the interview with Cardinal Nichols:  

Describing the Apostolic Letter as a “rather wonderful” closing of the Year of Mercy, Cardinal Nichols said that in it Pope Francis is urging the Church "to grow in its culture of mercy" and stressing this should be practiced on a “perennial” basis rather than just over one year.   

The Cardinal said that he believes for “the vast majority of Catholics,” the main significance of this Letter is about the need to understand “more deeply” and continue to celebrate “the gift of mercy” rather than the part headlined by the secular media about extending the faculty for all priests to absolve the sin of abortion.   

“The emphasis in this Letter is that we understand and create a clear grasping of the Mercy of God as what gives us hope,” he said.