Pope Francis reminds pilgrims of God's mercy

Pope Francis, at the General Audience at Saint Peter's Square on March 30, spoke to the pilgrims and he reminded them of how merciful God is. 

"God is greater than all the sins we may commit!" he said, according to the report by Radio Vaticana. "God is greater than our sin!"

His exhortation, delivered in Italian, focused on how merciful God is. He cited Psalm 51, called "Miserere" or "Have mercy on me, O God," which expresses King David's remorse after committing adultery with Bathsheba and plotting the murder of her husband Uriah. After Uriah's death in a battle, in which David ordered him to be in the front line, the king made Bathsheba his wife.

The pope said that these are not small but great sins. But in his message, he said that God's "divine forgiveness is supremely effective" and He "eliminates our sin from its very roots – all of it!"

In a message he gave to those who speak English, he said: "[The Psalmist] asks for the forgiveness of his great sin but also for the gift of a pure heart and a steadfast spirit, so that, thus renewed, he may draw other sinners back to the way of righteousness. God's forgiveness is the greatest sign of his infinite mercy."

During his address, he asked those present to raise their hands if they have committed no sin in their lifetime. No one did. To this, he acknowledged that "we are all sinners." He then said that if people would reach up to God when they fall into sin, in the same way that a child who falls reaches up to a parent, then God will pull them up.

"God created man and woman to stand upright," he said. "It is beautiful to be forgiven, but you too, if you want to be pardoned, you should also forgive. Forgive!"