The Name Of God Is Mercy by Pope Francis

Hardback:  "Mercy is the first attribute of God.  The name of God is mercy.  There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand.  The Church is not in the world to condemn but to make possible an encounter with the visceral love that is God's mercy.  For this to occur, we must go out.  Go out from the churches and the parishes, go out to find people where they suffer, where they hope." - Franciscus

Simply and directly, Pope Francis here addresses all humanity in an intimate and personal dialogue.  At the center of this book is the subject closest to his heart - mercy - which has long been the cornerstone of his faith and is now the central teaching of his papacy.  These pages resonate with a desire to reach all those souls who are looking for meaning in life, a road to peace and reconciliation, and the healing of physical and spiritual wounds.

In this conversation with Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli, Francis explains - through memories from his youth and moving anecdotes from his experiences as a pastor - his reasons for proclaiming a Holy Year of Mercy.  He reiterates that the Church cannot close the door on anyone - that, on the contrary, its duty is to find its way into the consciousness of people so that they can assume responsibility for, and move away from, the bad things they have done.

And to those who already count themselves among the ranks of the just, Francis counsels, "Even the Pope is a man who needs the mercy of God."

The Name of God is Mercy (2016) is being published in more than eighty countries around the world.

About Pope Francis:  Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires on 17 December 1936.  On 13 March 2013, he became the Bishop of Rome and the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.  His Holy Year of Mercy began on 8 December 2015 and will end on 20 November 2016.

About the Vatican Reporter:  Andrea Tornielli is a veteran Vatican reporter, correspondent for La Stampa, and director of the Vatican Insider website.  He also writes for a variety of Italian and international magazines.  His publications include the first biography of the Pope, Francis:  Pope of a New World (2013), which was translated into sixteen languages, and This Economy Kills:  Pope Francis on Capitalism and Social Justice (2015), which was translated into nine languages.

About the Translator:  Oonagh Stransky has translated a range of fiction and nonfiction writers including Roberto Saviano, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Giuseppe Pontiggia and Carlo Lucarelli.  Her work has received important prizes and nominations.  Born in Paris, Stransky grew up in the Middle East, London and the United States and attended Mills College, Middlebury College and Columbia University.  A member of PEN American Center and the American Literary Translators Association, she currently lives in Tuscany.