"Demonstrating that mercy is the core of the Christian message", which "promotes peace in the world, among peoples and religions", helps us "to discover the real nature of God, as well as the real natures of man and the Church". This is the most important objective of the First World Apostolic Mercy Congress, taking place in Rome from April 2nd to 6th. Today, the Congress was introduced to journalists by Card. Christoph Shonborn, archbishop of Vienna and president of the Congress. He made known the words which John Paul II would have liked to speak on April 3rd, 2005 (Feast of Divine Mercy), during the Regina Coeli recitation: "Love changes heart and peace. How great the need for mercy in the world is". "Death prevented the great Pope from making those words known said the cardinal, but this message is still entirely valid and present-time". According to Shonborn, "it is a good sign that the First World Congress of Mercy starts on April 2nd, on the third anniversary of the death of John Paul II, who was fascinated with the mystery of divine mercy ever since his youth years". In 2002, in Cracovia-Lagiewniki, during the opening of the sanctuary of divine mercy, John Paul II said: “Apart from God mercy, there is no other source of hope for human beings”. (To be continued).
