Pope Francis has given his blessing to the Diocese of Salford’s Mercy Bus, which will soon be touring parts of Greater Manchester and Lancashire. The double-decker bus will have priests available to hear Confession. It will also have live music and volunteers distributing leaflets to passers-by and inviting them on board. The bus is a response to Pope Francis’s announcement of the jubilee year last March. Bishop John Arnold of Salford said: “The Mercy Bus is a way of reaching out to people who might not otherwise have contact with the Church. We are going to them, rather than expecting them to come to us.” Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, arranged a VIP ticket for Fr Frankie Mulgrew, one of the three priests who will be on the bus, so he could speak to the Pope about the initiative. Francis blessed the project along with badges handed out by volunteers before posing for a photograph. The bus will be blessed by Bishop Arnold next Saturday, after which it will go out on the streets and to shopping centres, schools and prisons from 11am to 4pm every Saturday until Easter. With Fr Mulgrew, Fr Michael Cooke and Fr Duncan McVicar, the bus will tour Manchester, Salford, Burnley and Blackburn, “following the example of Jesus who spoke in synagogues and also brought the Gospel onto the streets, on hilltops, at dinner in people’s homes”, said Fr Mulgrew. “We were inspired by the Pope. In fact, when he served as cardinal in Argentina, the Holy Father would officiate open-air Masses in the poorest areas.”