Above all I ask leaders and legislators and the entire international community above all to confront the reality of those who have been displaced by force, with effective projects and new approaches in order to protect their dignity, to improve the quality of their life and to face the challenges that are emerging from modern forms of persecution, oppression and slavery.
Pope FrancisI want to see the church get closer to the people. I want to get rid of clericalism, the mundane, this closing ourselves off within ourselves, in our parishes, schools or structures. Because these need to get out!
Pope FrancisWhen we talk about the environment, about creation, my thoughts turn to the first pages of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, which states that God placed man and woman on earth to cultivate and care for it. And the question comes to my mind: What does cultivating and caring for the earth mean? Are we truly cultivating and caring for creation? Or are we exploiting and neglecting it?
Pope FrancisIf in so many parts of the world there are children who have nothing to eat, that's not news, it seems normal. It cannot be this way!
Pope FrancisReligious fundamentalism, even before it eliminates human beings by perpetrating horrendous killings, eliminates God himself, turning him into a mere ideological pretext.
Pope FrancisBe close to the poor and to those in need, so as to touch in their flesh the wounded flesh of Jesus. Please, draw near to them!
Pope FrancisIf we live the faith in our daily life, then our work too becomes a chance to spread the joy of being a Christian.
Pope FrancisSaints are people who belong fully to God. They are not afraid of being mocked, misunderstood or marginalized.
Pope FrancisAbortion is not the lesser of two evils. It is a crime. It is to throw someone out in order to save another.
Pope FrancisLet us never forget that authentic power is service, which has its radiant culmination on the Cross.
Pope FrancisI have come that they may have life and have it in abundance, says Jesus. This is where true wealth is found, not in material things!
Pope FrancisThere is no such thing as low-cost Christianity. Following Jesus means swimming against the tide, renouncing evil and selfishness
Pope FrancisThings have a price and can be for sale. But people have a dignity that is priceless and worth far more than things.
Pope Francis[Joseph Ratzinger] is a man who as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had everything in his hands. He conducted all the investigations, and went on, went on, went on, until he couldn't go any further in the execution.
Pope FrancisIn some countries, if you carry the Gospel, you can go to jail. You can't carry a cross, because you'll have to pay a fine. But still, the heart rejoices.
Pope FrancisA population that does not take care of the elderly and of children and the young has no future, because it abuses both its memory and its promise.
Pope FrancisIf someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?... No one should marginalize these people for this, they must be integrated into society.
Pope FrancisTrade unions have been an essential force for social change, without which a semblance of a decent and humane society is impossible under capitalism.
Pope FrancisMove forward and let others do the same. Simple. This is a guiding principle everyone should have.
Pope FrancisEvery expression of true beauty can be acknowledged as a path leading to an encounter with the Lord Jesus.
Pope FrancisIf we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury our talents.
Pope FrancisToday too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!
Pope FrancisAccompanying the people in their growth through good times and also through their difficulties, accompanying people in their joy and in their bad moments, in their difficulties when there is no work, ill health and the challenge of the Church.
Pope FrancisWorshipping the Lord means giving him the place that he must have; worshipping the Lord means stating, believing-not only by our words- that he alone truly guides our lives; worshipping the Lord means that we are convinced before him that he is the only God, the God of our lives, the God of our history.
Pope FrancisHow many young people, how many young people of our Europe, whom we have left empty of ideals, who do not have work... they take drugs, alcohol, or go there to enlist in fundamentalist groups.
Pope FrancisToday, the news is scandals, that is news, but the many children who don’t have food - that’s not news. This is grave. We can’t rest easy while things are this way.
Pope FrancisForgiveness is not a result of our efforts, but is a gift. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit who showers us with mercy and grace that pours forth unceasingly from the open heart of Christ crucified and risen.
Pope FrancisThe Sacraments are the manifestation of the Father’s tenderness and love towards each of us.
Pope FrancisThere is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps.
Pope FrancisOur life must be centred on what is essential, on Jesus Christ. Everything else is secondary.
Pope Francis