Hatred has wounded the world and to heal it needs God's tenderness, Pope Francis said on Friday at the Vatican.
"Hatred, hedonism and the lust for power have wounded the world, which needs caresses from God," Francis told members of the Catholic Dehonian order during an audience.
The pontiff urged the priests to show the mercy that God shows.
"The Lord asks you too to give merciful caresses. Men and women of God should bear witness to mercy," he said.
God's mercy is infinite and he will forgive the priests themselves if they have sinned, Francis said.
