Pope Francis conducts Angelus on third anniversary of his papacy

Marking his third anniversary as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis on Sunday (March 13) surprised pilgrims gathered in the Vatican with a gift of his own – a pocket Gospel for the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy.
The 79-year-old pontiff made the gesture as he conducted his weekly Angelus prayer in front of huge crowds three years to the date he was made pope.
The crowds cheered and applauded as Francis greeted them from a window of the papal apartments overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

“And now, I would like to renew the gesture of handing out pocket Gospels. It is the Gospel of Luke, which we read on Sundays of this liturgical year. The booklet is titled “The Gospel of Mercy of St. Luke”. In fact, the evangelist reports the words of Jesus: “Be merciful, as your Father is merciful”, which is the inspiration for the theme of this Jubilee Year. The booklets will be handed out free of charge,” he told the crowds as volunteers in the square prepared to hand out the booklets.
The Holy Year, which started on December 8, 2015, will run until November 20, 2016.
Announcing the Jubilee, Francis, who says he wants his Church of 1.2 billion members to be more merciful and less rigid towards sinners, said it would be an occasion for all members – and the Church itself – to rediscover the need to be forgiving and generous.
Sunday marks the third anniversary of the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina as Pope Francis, the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years.