In this conversation with Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli, Francis explains--through memories from his youth and moving anecdotes from his experiences as a pastor--why "mercy is the first attribute of God." God "does not want anyone to be lost. His mercy is infinitely greater than our sins," he writes. As well, the Church cannot close the door on anyone, Francis asserts--on the contrary, its duty is to go out into the world 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.

The first Jesuit and the first South American to be elected Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis has traveled around the world spreading God's message of mercy to the largest crowds in papal history. Clear and profound, The Name of God Is Mercy resonates with this desire to reach all those who are looking for meaning in life, a road to peace and reconciliation, and the healing of physical and spiritual wounds. It is being published in more than eighty countries around the world.

"The name of God is mercy. There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand."--Pope Francis

Praise for The Name of God Is Mercy

"Francis speaks succinctly--and with refreshing forthrightness. . . . He emphasizes moral sincerity over dogma, an understanding of the complexities of the world and individual experience over rigid doctrine. . . . The pope has an easy conversational style that moves effortlessly between folksy sayings and erudite allusions, between common-sense logic and impassioned philosophical insights."--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"What makes his book most moving is the way in which this man, without disrespecting his own privacy or offering false bromides of modesty, opens the sacred space of his conscience to explain how he came to center his ministry, and now his papacy, around mercy."--James Carroll, The New Yorker

"As he has done throughout his papacy, Pope Francis shows in this book a compelling way to present God's love anew to a skeptical world without denying the ancient teachings of faith. But now he is challenging the entire Church to trek a new way forward."--Time

"Francis enjoys sharing personal stories of God's grace and mercy in the lives of parishioners from his native Argentina, people he has known and who have recognized themselves as sinners."--The Washington Post

"Powerful . . . Francis's book signals a plea for a change of attitude on the part of the faithful and their pastors. . . . Bishops and priests will talk and quarrel over the text for months, even years to come. And that, perhaps, is what Francis intends."--Financial Times

"Deepens his calls for a more merciful Catholic Church . . . The question-and-answer book is told in simple, breezy language, with the pope referring to experiences and people in his own life."--Newsday

"Francis has offered his most detailed outline yet for the role of the Catholic church in the modern era."--National Catholic Reporter

Translated by Oonagh Stransky