“Thanks for the generous donations that you made on the Day of Mercy, 28 October, which I established to support and develop concrete works of charity in our Archdiocese as visible fruit of the Jubilee of Mercy”. “Mercy, however, does not mean only doing charity”. The Archbishop of Moscow, Paolo Pezzi, wrote this in a letter to the Diocese ahead of the World Day of the Poor (19 November). “Mercy is first and foremost meeting Christ in the most vulnerable among us. This meeting has to change a person’s life, make it better and closer to God. So let us reach out to the poor, not because we already know that it is Jesus who is in need, but to rediscover once again that the needy in front of us is Jesus”, the Archbishop explained, commenting on the Pope’s letter for the Day. Mgr. Pezzi urged his faithful to “think very seriously about what prayer activities or events can be carried out in parishes, monasteries and communities” to mark the day, “even if there is little time left”. And he mentioned, as an example, the events scheduled in Rome for Saturday, 18 November, such as the prayer vigil for the volunteers at the Basilica of St Lawrence Outside the Walls, and the Eucharistic celebration on Sunday presided over by Pope Francis, which will be followed by the Angelus, and a luncheon with the poor in the Paul VI Hall. “I hope that this Day will help us all not only to do something for the poor, but also to truly reach out to them, and welcome them”, Mgr. Pezzi concluded.