Cardinal Parolin celebrated second Mass of the ‘novendiali’ — nine days of mourning for the late pope marked by Masses
VATICAN CITY — Mercy — the cornerstone of Pope Francis’ teaching and ministry — must guide the Catholic Church through its period of mourning and the uncertainty that lies ahead, the Vatican’s second-ranking official said.
Celebrating Mass April 27 for the second day of the “novendiali” — nine days of mourning for the late pope marked by Masses — Cardinal Pietro Parolin, former Vatican secretary of state, told some 200,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Divine Mercy Sunday that Pope Francis had made the message of God’s limitless mercy the heart of his pontificate.
“Our affection for him must not remain a mere emotion of the moment,” Cardinal Parolin said. “We must welcome his legacy and make it part of our lives, opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another.”
Although the Mass was officially one of mourning, jubilant crowds of young people who traveled to Rome for the Jubilee of Teenagers April 25-27 filed into the square early Sunday morning while cheering, singing songs and breaking out in chant.
In his homily, Cardinal Parolin recognized the bittersweet atmosphere in the square, telling the young people that their presence was a visible sign of Easter joy even amid the Church’s grief, adding that Pope Francis “would have liked to meet you, to look into your eyes, and to pass among you to greet you.”
The cardinal encouraged the teenagers to hold fast to the hope that comes from Christ, even as they confront the challenges of the modern world, including rapid technological change and the rise of artificial intelligence.
“Never forget to nourish your lives with the true hope that has the face of Jesus Christ,” he said. “With Him, you will never be alone or abandoned, not even in the worst of times.”
Highlighting the day’s liturgical celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, Cardinal Parolin said it was fitting to remember Pope Francis, who had made mercy a hallmark of his pontificate.
“Pope Francis reminded us that ‘mercy’ is the very name of God, and, therefore, no one can put a limit on His merciful love with which He wants to raise us up and make us new people,” he said.
The Church, Cardinal Parolin noted, must continue to be a place where mercy heals wounds, fosters reconciliation and overcomes hatred and division. “Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred and violence,” he said. “This is the teaching of Pope Francis.”
As the tomb of Pope Francis in the Basilica of St. Mary Major was opened to the public for the first time the morning of April 27, Cardinal Parolin recalled the late pope’s deep devotion to Mary, having chosen to be buried in the Marian basilica outside the Vatican, and entrusted the Church to her care.
Standing alongside the icon of Mary that Pope Francis often visited in that basilica during his pontificate, the cardinal prayed that she would “protect us, intercede for us, watch over the Church and support the journey of humanity in peace and fraternity.”
On April 29, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s.
“It is not the profession of faith, the theological knowledge or the sacramental practice that guarantees participation in the joy of God,” Cardinal Gambetti said, “but the qualitative and quantitative involvement in the human experience of the least of our brothers and sisters.”
Celebrating Mass in the basilica April 29 for the fourth day of the “novendiali,” the cardinal said that Christ’s final judgment will not be based on knowledge or status, but on acts of mercy toward the hungry, the stranger, the sick and the imprisoned.
His message came as cardinals gathered in Rome said they are beginning to reflect on what qualities the next pope must embody. The cardinals are meeting daily in general congregation meetings ahead of the conclave, which is scheduled to begin May 7.
Concelebrating the Mass with Cardinal Gambetti were the cardinals who lead the three other papal basilicas in Rome: Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar of Rome and archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran; Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major; and U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Recalling Pope Francis’ conviction that “all, all, all, are called to live in the Church,” Cardinal Gambetti reflected on the episode from the Acts of the Apostles in which St. Peter meets Cornelius.
In that account, St. Peter enters the gentile’s home despite Jewish custom forbidding him to do so, and, after preaching about Jesus, the Holy Spirit descends upon them both, and the apostle baptizes Cornelius.
The Gospel account is “an episode that, in an age that is globalized, secularized and thirsting for truth and love such as ours” reveals the first pope’s attitude toward evangelization, the cardinal said: “Openness to the human person without reservation, gratuitous concern for others, sharing and deepening experiences to help every man and woman give credit to life, to the grace of creation.”
