BBC Radio 4 2015-12-03

Good morning!

Pope Francis is in trouble again. Flying back from his tour of Africa he was asked by a journalist about the role of contraception in tackling AIDs. The Church, of course, condemns the use of condoms. His Holiness appeared to dodge the question – talking instead about poverty and war. The translators of papal equivocation pounced. Conservative Catholics said he’d practically endorsed condom use; liberals described his vagueness as “shameful”.

In the midst of this controversy it was forgotten that the Catholic Church is the largest private provider of care to HIV patients in the world. Now you might think: “What good is that? It is Church teaching that discourages contraception and if the Pope really wants to help he should change it.”

But the Pope isn’t going to do that because, well, he can’t: he does not have the power to rewrite dogma. Nor does he probably want to – because Francis has different priorities from those of his critics; priorities tied to mercy. Francis made a point of visiting HIV-infected children in hospital while he was in Uganda, and kissing each one of them. He tries to embody the spirit of St Francis: a friar who put himself down among the poor and the sick, to let them know that their agony is shared. The change that this Pope is bringing to the Church is therefore a shift in rhetorical emphasis – from commandment to compassion.

To that effect, he’s designated the coming year as a Year of Mercy. What do Catholics mean by “mercy”? Well, one aspect is telling someone if they’re making a mistake. But there’s little point endlessly condemning people for their sins: shame rarely saves anyone. It is better – and more merciful – to show people that there is a road back. And that they won’t make the journey alone.

I speak from personal experience. I converted to Catholicism ten years ago and one of its most appealing qualities was the practical, tangible nature of its forgiveness. I sinned, so I went to confession, admitted what I’d done and honestly tried to atone. Some compare the feeling to having brushed one's teeth clean. Certainly it is a necessary, human thing to unburden oneself of guilt - and faith offers a solution like no other on the market. Tell your troubles to a priest & he'll tell you that you are loved.

Finally, there is the kind of mercy that puts food in bellies and offers refuge from the storm - no questions asked, no strings attached. That’s the mercy of the Good Samaritan, who stopped to help an unfortunate soul from a different tribe. That's the compassion this hands-on Pope wants us to show the poor around the world in this difficult time. As Francis has said, they are in need of our mercy more than ever.