Latest papal catchphrase

John L. Allen Jr. on The one word to describe Pope Francis' papacy to date, at the National Catholic Reporter,

"each recent pope has had a catchphrase that represents his core emphasis. For John Paul II, it was 'Be not afraid!, a call to revive the church's missionary swagger after a period of introspection and self-doubt. For Benedict, it was 'reason and faith,' the argument that religion shorn of self-critical reflection becomes extremism while human reason without the orientation of ultimate truths becomes skepticism and nihilism.

"For Francis, his signature idea is mercy. Over and over again, he emphasizes God's endless capacity to forgive, insisting what the world needs to hear from the church above all today is a message of compassion."