By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Mar 28, 2025 / 12:00 pm
Around 500 priests instituted as Missionaries of Mercy are in Rome March 28–30 to take part in events for a special jubilee dedicated to their role, part of the wider 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
Pope Francis commissioned the Missionaries of Mercy in 2016 during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Missionaries of Mercy are priests with faculties to hear confessions all over the world and to absolve certain sins previously reserved to the Holy See.
The pontiff has twice extended their original mandate and the number of Missionary of Mercy priests continues to grow, now numbering more than 1,200 around the world.
There are about 100 Missionaries of Mercy in the U.S., and one of these said it has been “life-changing” to have this ministry of mercy be part of his priesthood.
“The life of a priest is a life going in all directions, different directions, all at the same time.
