Catholics declare 2016 Year of Mercy

The Extraordinary Jubilee ‘Year of Mercy’ brings a new process designed to make the Catholic marriage annulments practices much simpler.

The year of mercy which started on the 8th December and will run until November 2016, was declared by Pope Francis as a time for the world to experience God’s forgiveness and mercy.

The Pope calls on all Dioceses around the world to begin to implement a reform in the processes of marriage annulments approved last August. The new process, designed to make the practice simpler while maintaining Catholicism’s traditional ban on divorce, reduces the number of courts and judges needed, drops the automatic appeals, and makes the process free.

Speaking at the official opening of the year of mercy in Gaborone, the Bishop of Gaborone Valentine Tsamma Seane said the year of mercy is a time to show love, kindness and unbounded generosity. He urged all priests to express mercy in their pastoral work towards the people in this period as well as helping them to receive mercy.

The Bishop is aware that some people leave the church due to dissatisfactions of either not being attended to during bereavement or on the issue of marriage. He said it is time of reconciliation within the church, in families and neighbours for people to encounter the incredible mercy of God.

“One of the ways of showing mercy is through burying the dead,” Seane said to be able to acknowledge that God is merciful we must be merciful ourselves.

The jubilee is seen as a period for remission of sins and universal pardon, the extraordinary year of mercy is seen as gift of Grace to the entire church.