[Pope Francis] has done this not through angry speeches, but through the powerful symbols and examples of embracing a badly deformed man, welcoming refugees to the Vatican, strolling through a shanty town in Rome, visiting a home for the elderly, washing the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday, and going to a hospital for newborns.

Worst thing about Al Smith dinner : it was another reminder of how far we are from the amity between opposing sides that is needed for effective governance.

I've never met anyone who has changed his mind or deepened his faith because he has been confronted with such angry condemnations.

We are called to serve the common good by engaging with political and other institutions, even in our pluralistic society. We bring to that effort Christ's command to love and the grace that helps us live that love.

[Pope Francis] has reminded us that the way we live our lives is the most important expression of our Catholic identity.

[Pope Francis] has done this not through angry speeches, but through the powerful symbols and examples of embracing a badly deformed man, welcoming refugees to the Vatican, strolling through a shanty town in Rome, visiting a home for the elderly, washing the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday, and going to a hospital for newborns.

As Pope Francis says in Amoris laetitia, pastors must "make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations. We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them" (no. 37). As for the former statement, we should only be afraid if the church is smaller because of our failure to welcome people and preach the Gospel in a way that touches their hearts.