“The Church needs this extraordinary time”, said Pope Francis, who began his General Audience today by recalling that yesterday he opened the Holy Door of the Jubilee of Mercy in St Peter’s Basilica – after the one he opened in the Cathedral of Bangui. “I do not say that it is good for the Church to hold a Jubilee; I say that the Church needs this extraordinary time”, Pope Francis explained off the cuff. “In our age marked by profound changes, the Church is called to offer her special contribution by making visible the signs of God’s presence and closeness. The Jubilee is a propitious time for all of us; may we become ever more effective and courageous in our witness by contemplating the Divine Mercy, which exceeds all human limits and shines in the darkness of sin”. “Turning our eyes to the merciful God, and to our brothers and sisters in need of mercy, means focusing our attention on the essential content of the Gospel”, the Pope remarked: “Jesus Christ, Mercy made flesh, who makes God’s Trinitarian Love visible to us”. Celebrating a Jubilee of Mercy means putting “the essence of our Christian faith, that is Jesus Christ, the Merciful God, back at the centre of our lives and communities”. “This is a Holy Year for us to live out mercy”, the Pope summed up. “This Holy Year is for us to experience in our lives the sweet and gentle touch of God’s forgiveness, His presence among us, and His closeness, especially at times of great need”.