Watch: Pope's video message for 'Be God's Mercy' project

A video message by Pope Francis was released on Friday to highlight an awareness and fund-raising initiative by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The charity's 'Be God's Mercy' initiative marking the Jubilee Year of Mercy was formally launched at a press conference in the offices of Vatican Radio.

In his film, the Pope urged people to "carry out works of mercy together with ACN in every corner of the world, in order to meet the many, many needs of today."

Watch the film here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=475tyHQV1aQ

A full English translation of the Pope's video message on behalf of ACN follows:

"I want to appeal to all men and women of good will all around the world for a work of mercy to be done in each town, in each diocese, in each association. We, men and women, need God's mercy, but we also need each other's mercy. We need to take each other's hand, caress each other, take care of each other and not make so many wars.

I am looking here at the dossier prepared by Kirche in Not, a papal foundation, to carry out works of mercy in the whole world. I trust Kirche in Not with this work... I also entrust them to carry on the spirit they have inherited from Father Werenfried van Straaten who had the vision at the right time to carry out in the world these gestures of closeness, of proximity, of goodness, of love and of mercy.So I invite all of you, together with Kirche in Not, to do, everywhere in the world, a work of mercy but one that stays, a permanent work of mercy; a structure for so many needs that there are today in the world. I thank you for everything you do. And do not be afraid of mercy: mercy is God's caress."

ACN projects supported during the four-month "Be God's Mercy" campaign in 2016 include prison ministry, drug rehabilitation centres and support groups for women who have suffered violence.