By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Feb 1, 2025 / 06:06 am
Pope Francis highlighted Mary Magdalene’s transformative encounter with the risen Christ as a model for personal conversion during a Jubilee audience at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Saturday.
“The Jubilee is for people and for the Earth a new beginning; everything must be rethought within the dream of God,” the pope told pilgrims gathered for the morning audience Feb. 1.
The encounter was one of a series of Saturday jubilee audiences of 2025, following a first meeting with pilgrims and a heart-to-heart with journalists.
A biblical model of transformation
Drawing from the Gospel of John’s account of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, Francis emphasized how she “turned around” multiple times before recognizing the risen Jesus — a detail the pontiff said was carefully chosen by the evangelist.
“The Risen One is not on the side of death, but on the side of life,” the Holy Father explained.
