Pope Francis leads a mass in the sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity in El Cobre, on the last day of his visit to Cuba, 22 September 2015. EFE/Orlando Barria
Vatican City, Feb 26 (IANS/AKI) Pope Francis on Friday met delegates at an international conference organised by the Vatican's "Cor Unum" aid body.
The conference "Love will never end" was organised to mark the tenth anniversary of Pope Benedict XVIs first encyclical on charity, "Deus Caritas Est".
Pope Francis said the message of the encyclical remains timely, especially in the Catholic Church's current Jubilee year of mercy.
The love which we receive from God and share with others, he said, is "the fulcrum of the history of the Church and of the history of each one of us", according to Vatican Radio.
The act of charity, the Pope said, is not simply almsgiving to ease ones conscience, but rather a "loving attentiveness towards the other" and a desire to share friendship with God.
Even if we turn away from God, the Pope told participants, it is in Gods nature to communicate his love and mercy to us.
The mission of charitable organisations is vital, he said, because, it is not with words, but with concrete love that we can make every person feel loved by God.
Living in this spirit of receiving and sharing God's love with others makes Christians more authentic, Francis said, thanking all those working daily for Cor Unum around the world.
