Pope Francis Quotes
Books of the Bible Index of Homilies
Matthew Mark Luke John The Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes The Song of Songs The Book of Wisdom Sirach Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi
100 Quotes from Pope Francis listed in Subject order with the date and occasion when the quote was made
Abortion - how can an action that ends an innocent and defenceless life in its blossoming stage be therapeutic, civilized or simply human?
10.10.18 General Audience, St Peter's Square
Accusers - Living by accusing others and looking for defects, is not Christian...it's the style of the devil: in the Bible, the devil is called the "great accuser", who is always accusing others.
21.01.19 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Advent - Advent is the time of being at peace with ourselves, our soul, that is often in anxiety, anguish and without hope.
04.12.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Anger - many of us are perhaps a little angry with someone; then let us say to the Lord: Lord, I am angry with this or that person; I am praying to you for him or her. To pray for those with whom we are angry is a beautiful step towards that law of love.
12.06.13 General Audience, St Peter's Square
Anxiety - we should seek Jesus in the house of God – and especially in the liturgy, where we have the living experience of Jesus, in His Word and in the Eucharist, from which we receive the strength to face the difficulties of each day.
30.12.18 Angelus St Peter's Square Feast of the Holy Family
Ash Wednesday - The small mark of ash, which we will receive, is a subtle yet real reminder that of the many things occupying our thoughts, that we chase after and worry about every day, nothing will remain.
06.03.19 Basilica of Santa Sabina
Ashamed - The problem is not sinning, but not repenting of the sin, not feeling ashamed of what we have done. That is the problem.
17.15.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
To feel ashamed before God is a grace. It is a grace to say: 'I am ashamed'
25.10.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Beatitudes - Matthew Chapter 5 1-12 - The Gospel says blessed are the poor, while the world says blessed are the rich. The Gospel says blessed are the meek, while the world says blessed are the overbearing. The Gospel says blessed are the pure, while the world says blessed are the cunning and the pleasure-seekers. Let us ask ourselves which side we are on: that of heaven or that of earth?
Put it into practice - set out on the way of the Beatitudes. It is not a matter of doing extraordinary things, but of following, each day, this way that leads us to heaven, leads us to family, leads us home.
01.11.18 Solemnity of All Saints, St Peter's Square
Beauty - demands human sacrifices. How many hours are spent in front of the mirror! How much do some people, some women, spend on makeup? This too is idolatry. It is not bad to wear makeup but in a normal way, not to become a goddess.
01.08.18 General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall
Bishops - being Pastors also means being prepared to walk among and behind the flock; being capable of listening to the silent tale of those who are suffering and of sustaining the steps of those who fear they may not make it; attentive to raising, to reassuring and to instilling hope.
23.05.13 Profession of Faith with the Bishops of the Italian Episcpal Conference
Bullying - attacking the weak, because you’re fat or foreign, or because you’re black - attacking the weak is the work of Satan.
when we realize we harbour within ourselves the desire to attack someone because they are weak, we have no doubt: It is the devil. Because attacking the weak is the work of Satan.
08.01.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Busy - How many times do we hear the call of Jesus to come to Him, to do a work of charity, to pray, to encounter Him, and we say: "Excuse me Lord, I’m busy, I don’t have time. Yes, tomorrow, today I can’t…" And Jesus remains there.
06.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Charity - we must climb the steps of love for our neighbour, by works of charity.
08.01.15 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Christ the King - He has come to earth to exercise this power, which is love, by bearing witness to the divine truth which ultimately is the essential message of the Gospel: "God is love"; and he wishes to establish in the world his kingdom of love, justice and peace. And this is the kingdom of which Jesus is king, and which extends until the end of times.
25.11.18 Solemnity of Christ the King, Angelus, St Peter's Square
Christian Life - it is important for all of us to live our faith in contact with those in need.
18.11.18 World Day of the Poor Holy Mass Vatican Basilica
Christian witness - means being light for others, "to help them in their darkest hour."
12.06.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Christianity as a social habit - when Mass is over, we leave Jesus in the Church; He does not come with us when we return home, or in our daily lives. Woe to us! When we do this, we cast Jesus from our hearts: "We are Christians, but we live as pagans."
05.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Christians of words - it’s a little bit like dressing up as a Christian: only saying the words is a kind of deception, speaking without doing.
06.12.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Christmas - is not about the birth of a Christmas tree, but about the birth of Jesus Christ.
03.12.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Church - May the Church be a place of God’s mercy and hope, where all feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live according to the good life of the Gospel.
12.06.13 General Audience St Peter's Square
Comfort - the Lord comforts: with tenderness.
11.12.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Compassion - Jesus fed the crowd out of compassion .. Jesus’ heart, was moved when he saw these people, and he could not remain indifferent. Love is restless. Love does not tolerate indifference; love is compassionate. But love means putting your heart on the line for others; it means showing mercy.
08.01.19 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Complaining - Complaining damages the heart, not only our complaints of others, but also their complaints of us, when everything seems to have turned sour.
03.04.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Confession - Even the Pope confesses every 15 days, because the Pope is also a sinner.
20.11.13 General Audience, St Peter's Square
Conflict - today we are used to breathing the air of conflict. Every day, on the TV and in newspapers, we hear about conflicts and wars one after the other, without peace, without unity. Agreements made to stop conflicts are ignored, thus the arms race and preparation for war and destruction go ahead.
26.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Conscience - It is wise to make an examination of conscience in view of the fact that we will one day face the Lord.
27.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Consolation - He knocks so that we might open our heart in order to allow ourselves to be consoled, and to allow ourselves to be set at peace. And He does it with gentleness. He knocks with caresses.
11.12.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Consumerism - excessive spending to buy more than we need - – is a lack of austerity in life. This is the enemy of generosity.
We should ask God, to free us from that dangerous disease of consumerism, which makes us slaves and creates dependence on spending money.
26.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Creation - When we talk about the environment, about creation, my thoughts go to the first pages of the Bible, to the Book of Genesis, where it says that God puts men and women on the earth to till it and keep it. And these questions occur to me: What does cultivating and preserving the earth mean? Are we truly cultivating and caring for creation? Or are we exploiting and neglecting it?
05.06.13 General Audience, St Peter's Square World Environment Day
Devil - The devil is like a dying crocodile, who hunters advise not to approach because it can still strike you dead with its tail. Hence the devil is very dangerous, his proposals are all lies and we foolishly believe him.
08.05.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Defence - defence must always be proportionate to the attack.
When there is something disproportionate, it is evident that there is a domineering tendency that goes beyond morality. A country that does these things with its forces – I am talking about any country – in such a “superlative” way commits immoral actions.
Even in war, morality is to be safe-guarded. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicate some morality. When this is not respected, you can see – as we say in Argentina – the “bad blood” of these things.
29.09.24 Apostolic Journey to Luxembourg and Belgium: Press Conference on the return flight to Rome
Dictatorial governments - What makes a dictatorial government? Taking control first of the means of communication with a law, and from there, it begins to murmur, to belittle everyone that is a danger to the government.
08.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Difficulties - with Him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them!
24.03.13 Celebration of Palm Sunday the Passion of our Lord, St Peter's Square
Disdain - is a luxury that only the vain, the proud allow themselves.
29.02.16 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Disunity - There is a tendency to destruction, war and disunity in us. It is the tendency that the devil, the enemy and destroyer of humanity sows in our hearts.
26.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Ecumenism - Ecumenism is not an optional thing.
16.01.19 General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall
Elderly - the cry of the elderly cast off and abandoned to themselves - Let us ask for the grace to hear the cry of all those tossed by the waves of life.
18.11.18 World Day of the Poor Holy Mas Vatican Basilica
Enemies - The Mafia’s prayer is: ‘You’ll pay me back.’ The Christian prayer is: ‘Lord, give them your blessing, and teach me to love them.’ Let us think of one enemy, and pray for them. May the Lord to give us the grace to love them.
19.06.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Enemies - Even we, all of us, have enemies - all of us. Some are weak enemies, some strong. So often we too become the enemies of others; we do not love them. Jesus tells us that we must love our enemies.
18.06.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
End of the world - Thinking about the end, about the end of the world, about the end of one’s own life, is wise.
27.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Evangelization - go and share the lives of others, to accompany them on the journey of faith, to help them grow on the journey of faith...you must proclaim Him with the Word — but above all with your life!
09.09.16 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Evil - The struggle between good and evil in us human beings is the true struggle between the first struggle between God and the ancient serpent, between Jesus and the devil.
12.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Exploitation - Social, political and economic systems that in various places around the world are based on exploitation. Thus, they choose to not pay the just and to strive to make maximum profit at any cost, taking advantage of other's work without worrying the least bit about their dignity. This goes against God!
01.05.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta Feast of St Joseph the Worker
Faith - Faith gives us courage and shows us the way to touch the heart of the Lord.
10.12.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Fasting - Fasting involves choosing a sober lifestyle; a way of life that does not waste, a way of life that does not “throw away”. Fasting helps us to attune our hearts to the essential and to sharing.
05.03.14 Basilica of Santa Sabina
Father - You have a Father. ‘Yes, but I am a delinquent...’. But you have a Father who loves you!
16.01.19 General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall
Forgiveness - The Lord never tires of forgiving: never! It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness.
17.03.13 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Generosity - How can I be more generous, with the poor, the needy… How can I help more.
26.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Give freely - it is more important to give than to receive. The person who loves, gives, gives things, gives life, gives himself to God and to others. Instead, the person who does not love and who is selfish always seeks to receive.
09.01.14 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
God's love - The love of God is so great; a poet described it as a "bottomless sea without shores…" This is the love that we must try to understand, the love that we receive.
08.06.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Good - let all of us keep this commandment in our heart: do good and do not do evil. Everyone.
22.05.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Government - Every man and woman who assume the responsibility of governing should ask themselves these two questions: Do I love my people, so that I may better serve them? And am I humble enough to hear the opinions of others so as to choose the best way of governing. If they do not ask themselves these questions, they will not govern well.
16.09.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Greed - is like those good candies: you take one and say "Ah! How good ", and then you take another; and one leads to another. So it is with greed: you will never be satisfied.
04.08.19 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Guardian Angels - They are the "special helpers" that the Lord promises to His people and to us who travel along the path of life. Life is a journey, along which we must be helped by "companions," by "protectors," by "compasses" that guard us against dangers, and from the snares we might encounter along the way.
02.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Happiness - Love thus understood and lived is the source of true happiness.
04.08.19 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Hatred - the person who generates hatred is Satan
15.04.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Heart of stone - When we have a heart of stone it happens that we pick up real stones and stone Jesus Christ in the person of our brothers and sisters, especially the weakest of them.
22.03.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Help me - God's mercy seeks everyone, forgives everyone. The only thing he asks of you is to say: ‘Yes, help me’. That’s all."
21.09.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Holy Family of Nazareth – Jesus, Mary and Joseph – were united by an intense love and animated by great confidence in God.
31.12.18 Angelus, St Peter's Square Feast of the Holy Family
Holy Spirit - let us listen to the Holy Spirit and may we move forward on this path of love, mercy and forgiveness.
08.05.13 General Audience, St Peter's Square
Homeless - that some homeless people should freeze to death on the street — this doesn’t make news. On the contrary, when the stock market drops 10 points in some cities, it constitutes a tragedy... In this way people are thrown aside as if they were trash.
05.06.13 General Audience, St Peter's Square
Hope - Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others.
19.03.13 Holy Mass for the inauguration of the Pontificate, St Peter's Square
Humility - Unless I humble myself, unless you humble yourself, you are not Christian.
08.04.13 Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, Santa Marta
Hunger - is an injustice that destroys men and women because they have nothing to eat, even if there is a lot of food available in the world.
01.06.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Politics needs to make the effective elimination of hunger one of its foremost and imperative goals. Indeed, ‘when financial speculation manipulates the price of food, treating it as just another commodity, millions of people suffer and die from hunger. At the same time, tons of food are thrown away. This constitutes a genuine scandal. Hunger is criminal; food is an inalienable right’.
18.11.24 Message to the G20 Leaders Summit, Rio de Janeiro
Indifference - people leaving a restaurant in Rome as a homeless woman lifts her hand to beg for alms - the people looked away, so that their gaze would not meet that of the homeless woman. This is the culture of indifference.
08.01.19 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Important - the Important - those who flaunt their own social position, embellish themselves .. who love to be revered and take the best seats .
11.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Jesus Christ - it is Jesus himself who is beside us on our journey through life, always.
05.04.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Journeying - our life is a journey, and when we stop moving, things go wrong.
14.03.13 Missa pro Ecclesia with the Cardinal Electors, Sistine Chapel
Joy - Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our midst.
24.03.13 Celebration of Palm Sunday, St Peter's Square
Life - He tears us away from grazing undisturbed in the comfortable meadows of life, from living a life of ease amid little daily pleasures.
18.11.18 World Day of the Poor Holy Mass, Vatican Basilica
Lost sheep - When he finds us, when he has found the lost sheep he neither sets it aside nor does he ask us: "Why did you get lost? Why did you fall?". Rather, he restores what was lost to its proper place. And when this happens it is God who rejoices. God rejoices not in the death of the sinner but rather that he be restored to life.
07.11.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Love - Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person! How beautiful!
28.04.13 Holy Mass, St Peter's Square
Love God - to love God means to invest our energies each day to be his assistants in the unmitigated service of our neighbour, in trying to forgive without limitations, and in cultivating relationships of communion and fraternity.
04.11.18 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Malnutrition - the eradication of malnutrition cannot be achieved by merely increasing global food production. Indeed, there is already sufficient food to feed all the people on our planet; it is merely unequally distributed. It is therefore essential to recognise the significant amount of food that is wasted on a daily basis.
18.11.24 Message to the G20 Leaders Summit, Rio de Janeiro
Mary - the gaze of Our Lady helps us to look at one another as brothers and sisters. Let us look upon one another in a more fraternal way! Mary teaches us to have that gaze which strives to welcome, to accompany and to protect.
22.09.13 Holy Mass at the shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria, Caliari
Whenever Mary gazes on us, she does not see sinners but children. By allowing her to gaze on us, we will see the reflection of God’s beauty and heaven. Her gaze, penetrates the darkest corner and rekindles hope.
01.01.19 Solemnity of Mary Mother of God St Peter's Basilica
Mercy - The Lord never tires of forgiving: never! It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness.
- He is the loving Father who always forgives, who has that heart of mercy for all of us... let us also learn to be merciful with everyone.
17.03.13 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Migrants - Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age...In this way, responding to the supreme commandment of charity and love of neighbour, may we all learn to love the other, the stranger, as ourselves.
14.01.18 World day of Migrants and Refugees, Vatican Basilica
Miracles - are “signs” which encourage faith as a response; signs which are always accompanied by words that enlighten; and, taken together, the signs and words arouse faith and conversion through the divine power of Christ’s grace.
04.02.18 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Money - Money robs one of life. Let us think of unemployed people..at times the businessmen decided to lay off those people in order to earn more money. The idol of money.
01.08.18 General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall
Murmuring - we can find ourselves murmuring because we don’t like something or other; and instead of dialoguing, or trying to resolve a conflict situation, we secretly complain.
08.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Neighbour - love for God and love for neighbour are inseparable ..a neighbour is a person whom I meet on the journey, in my days.
04.11.18 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Newness - the newness of the Gospel, the newness of Christ is not only transforming our soul; it is transforming our whole being: soul, spirit and body, all of it.
10.09.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Not speaking - Parents suffer because their children don't speak to each other, or one son’s wife doesn’t speak to the other, and thus, with jealousy, envy ... The devil sows this. The devil is the "father of hate", the "father of lies" who seeks disunity.
08.02.15 Holy Mass, San Michele Arcangelo a Pietralata
Paganism - The great cities of today will also end, and so will our lives, if we continue along this road towards paganism.
29.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Path of Life - The secret of navigating well is to invite Jesus on board. The rudder of life must be surrendered to him, so that he can steer the route.
18.11.18 World Day of the Poor Holy Mass, Vatican Basilica
Patience - Patience is not a sign of weakness, but the strength of spirit that enables us to “carry the burden”, to endure, to bear the weight of personal and community problems, to accept others as different from ourselves, to persevere in goodness when all seems lost, and to keep advancing even when overcome by fatigue and listlessness.
02.02.21 Holy Mass, Presentation of the Lord, Vatican Basilica
Peace - forgiveness, dialogue, reconciliation – these are the words of peace.
07.09.13 Vigil Prayer for Peace, St Peter's Square
Personal success - we Christians can ask ourselves: who is truly my God? Is it the One and Triune Love or is it my image, my personal success, perhaps even within the Church
01.08.18 General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall
Pessimism - Jesus offers us the example of how to conduct ourselves. He does not run away from suffering, which is part of this life, but he does not allow himself to be held captive by pessimism.
02.04.17 Holy Mass, Piazza Martiri, Carpi
Persecution - the Devil wants to destroy human dignity – and that is why the Devil is behind all forms of persecution.
01.06.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Politics - is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good.
16.09.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
the Poor - I will ask a question; everyone can ask this question to themselves: do I go without something in order to give it to the poor? When I give alms, do I touch the hand of the poor person and look him or her in the eyes? Brothers and sisters, let us not forget that the poor cannot wait!
17.11.24 Angelus, St Peter's Square, Rome
Poverty - the needs and dramas of so many people end up being considered normal ..In this way people are thrown aside as if they were trash.
05.06.13 General Audience, St Peter's Square
Prayer - is not like a magic wand, it is not that as soon as we ask, we obtain... how do you pray? Like a parrot? Do I really pray with a need in my heart? Struggle with God in prayer in order that he gives me what I need if it is right?
11.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Problems - with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them!
24.03.13 Celebration of Palm Sunday, St Peter's Square
Reassurance - Lord: comforted by you, we will be able to bring true comfort to others.
08.08.18 General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall
Refugees - Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age...In this way, responding to the supreme commandment of charity and love of neighbour, may we all learn to love the other, the stranger, as ourselves.
14.01.18 World day of Migrants and Refugees, Vatican Basilica
Refusing Jesus - if you close the door of your heart from within, He cannot open it, because He is very respectful of our heart.
06.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Regret - each one of us already has .. some area that has somewhat died within our hearts; a regret that keeps coming back .. let us invite Jesus into them.
02.04.17 Holy Mass, Piazza Martiri, Carpi
Resentment - each one of us already has .. some area that has somewhat died within our hearts; an unrelenting resentment .. let us invite Jesus into them.
02.04.17 Holy Mass, Piazza Martiri, Carpi
Return to God - God’s patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life.
07.04.13 Divine Mercy Sunday, Basilica of Saint John Lateran
Revenge - Often we are tempted to believe that hatred and revenge are legitimate ways of ensuring quick and effective justice. Yet experience tells us that hatred, division and revenge succeed only in killing our peoples’ soul, poisoning our children’s hopes, and destroying and sweeping away everything we cherish.
31.03.19 Holy Mass, Prince Moulay, Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco
Rivalry - is ugly: you can perpetrate it openly, in a direct way, or with white gloves. But it always aims to destroy the other and to ‘raise oneself up’ by diminishing the other.
05.11.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Ruins of Life - There are those who remain trapped among the ruins of life, and those who, like you, with God’s help, pick up the ruins of life and rebuild with patient hope.
02.04.17 Holy Mass, Piazza Martiri, Carpi
Rulers - Two attitudes of a ruler. Before all else he must love his people. A ruler who does not love cannot govern. At most he can only make a bit of order, but he cannot govern... A ruler must also be humble.
16.09.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Sadness - Dear brothers and sisters, the Word of God and the Eucharist fill us with joy always. Remember it well! When you are sad, take up the Word of God. When you are down, take up the Word of God and go to Sunday Mass and receive Communion, to participate in the mystery of Jesus. The Word of God, the Eucharist: they fill us with joy.
04.05.14 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Saint - It is good for us to let ourselves be spurred by the saints, who did not use half-measures here, and are ‘cheering us on’ from there, so that we may choose God, humility, meekness, mercy, purity, so that we may be impassioned by heaven rather than earth.
01.11.18 Solemnity of All Saints, St Peter's Square
Salvation - our life is not a video game nor a television soap opera. Our life is serious and our goal is important: eternal salvation
21.08.16 Angelus, St Peter's Square
Satan - the person who generates hatred is Satan.
15.04.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
- the desire to destroy another person is the work of Satan.
08.01.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Service - The secret to live is to live to serve.
03.11.18 Holy Mass, Vatican Basilica
Shame - However burdensome the past, great the sin, weighty the shame, let us never bar the Lord’s entrance. Let us, before him, remove that stone which prevents him from entering.
02.04.17 Holy Mass, Piazza Martiri, Carpi
Silence - May the Lord give us the grace to discern when we should speak and when we should stay silent. This applies to every part of life: to work, at home, in society…. Thus we will be closer imitators of Jesus.
03.09.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Sin - How many times in my pastoral ministry have I heard it said: "Father, I have many sins"; and I have always pleaded: "Don’t be afraid, go to him, he is waiting for you, he will take care of everything". We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God’s offer instead: his is a caress of love. For God, we are not numbers, we are important, indeed we are the most important thing to him; even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart.
07.04.13 Divine Mercy Sunday, Basilica of Saint John Lateran
Slave Labour - exploits the most beautiful gift which God gave man: the ability to create, work and to discover one's own dignity. How many of our brothers and sisters in the world are in this situation.
01.05.13 Holy Mass, Santa Marta Feast of St Joseph the Worker
Spirit of the World - Man often runs the risk of trying to "bargain", to take what is convenient for us, "a little of this, a little of that". It’s like "making a fruit salad: a little of the Spirit and a little of the spirit of the world". However with God there is no halfway house: the person chooses either "one thing or the other". The Lord is clear: no one can serve two masters. One either serves the Lord or the spirit of the world. It is impossible to mix everything together.
10.06.13 Holy Mass Santa Marta
Starvation - there is a significant paradox in terms of access to food. On the one hand, over 3 billion people lack access to a nutritious diet. On the other hand, almost 2 billion individuals are overweight or obese due to poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle
Message for World Food Day 2021
The silent acceptance by human society of famine is a scandalous injustice and a grave offence. Those who, through usury and greed, cause the starvation and death of their brothers and sisters in the human family are indirectly committing a homicide.
18.11.24 Message to the G20 Leaders Summit, Rio de Janeiro
Stifling Life - where disgruntlement, bitterness and inevitable disappointments get the better of us.
02.02.18 Presentation of the Lord, Vatican Basilica
Suffering - in the mystery of suffering, before which thoughts and progress are crushed like flies against glass, Jesus offers us the example of how to conduct ourselves. He does not run away from suffering, which is part of this life, but he does not allow himself to be held captive by pessimism.
02.04.17 Holy Mass, Piazza Martiri, Carpi
Tenderness - great tenderness - is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.
19.03.13 Holy Mass for the inauguration of the Pontificate, St Peter's Square
Today - our life is a today. It’s either today or never... And, the question I ask you is this one that the Holy Spirit asks: ‘how am I living this today?’
12.01.17 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Transfiguration - we too can be transfigured by Love. In reality, love is capable of transfiguring everything. Love transfigures all!
01.03.15 Angelus St Peter's Square
Unemployed - how many, and not only young people, are unemployed, often due to a purely economic conception of society, which seeks profit selfishly, beyond the parameters of social justice.
01.05.13 General Audience, St Peter's Square
Unity - We who are used to insulting and shouting at each other, need to make peace and unity among us with gentleness and patience.
26.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
War - Even in war, morality is to be safe-guarded. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicate some morality. When this is not respected, you can see – as we say in Argentina – the “bad blood” of these things.
Defence must always be proportionate to the attack.
When there is something disproportionate, it is evident that there is a domineering tendency that goes beyond morality. A country that does these things with its forces – I am talking about any country – in such a “superlative” way commits immoral actions.
29.09.24 Apostolic Journey to Luxembourg and Belgium: Press Conference on the return flight to Rome
Brothers and sisters, war is an illusion, it is a defeat: it will never lead to peace, it will never lead to security, it is a defeat for all, especially for those who believe themselves invincible. Stop, please!
Stop the air strikes against the civilian population, always the most affected. Stop the killing of innocent people!
13.10.24 Angelus, St Peter's Square, Rome
War does not forgive; war is a defeat from the beginning.
There is a figure, brothers and sisters, that should frighten us: the investments that yield the most today are in arms factories. Profiting from death! Let us pray for peace, all together.
23.10.24 General Audience, St Peter's Square, Rome
It is sad to see how hospitals and schools are destroyed in war in some places.
Too many innocent victims! Every day we see images of slaughtered children. Too many children! Let us pray for peace.
27.10.24 Angelus, St Peter's Square, Rome
And it is ignoble, because it is the triumph of the lie, of falsehood: one seeks the greatest interest for oneself and the greatest damage for the adversary, trampling on human lives, the environment, the infrastructure, everything; and all disguised with lies. And the innocent suffer! I think of the 153 women and children massacred in Gaza in recent days.
01.11.24 Angelus, St Peter's Square, Rome
War dehumanizes us, it induces us to tolerate unacceptable crimes
17.11.24 Angelus, St Peter's Square, Rome
Wars continue to exert a considerable strain on national economies, especially due to the exorbitant amount of money spent on weapons and armaments.
18.11.24 Message to the G20 Leaders Summit, Rio de Janeiro
Wealth - When society is no longer based on the principle of solidarity and the common good, we witness the scandal of people living in utter destitution amid skyscrapers, grand hotels and luxurious shopping centres, symbols of incredible wealth. We have forgotten the wisdom of the Mosaic law: if wealth is not shared, society is divided.
18.01.19 Vespers in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls
Works of charity - draw near to God through works of charity.
08.01.15 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
World institutions - Even world institutions created with the best of intentions for peace and unity, fail to come to an agreement because of a veto here and an interest there ... While they are struggling to arrive at peace agreements, children have no food, no school, no education and hospitals because the war has destroyed everything.
26.10.18 Holy Mass, Santa Marta
Worldliness - Whenever material things, money, worldliness, become the centre of our lives, they take hold of us, they possess us; we lose our very identity as human beings.
29.09.13 Holy Mass on Day for Catechists, St Peter's Square
Wounds - each one of us already has a small sepulchre, some area that has somewhat died within our hearts; a wound … let us invite Jesus into them.
02.04.17 Holy Mass, Piazza Martiri, Carpi
Young People - Everyone, including our young people, feels attracted by the many idols which take the place of God and appear to offer hope: money, success, power, pleasure. Often a growing sense of loneliness and emptiness in the hearts of many people leads them to seek satisfaction in these ephemeral idols. Dear brothers and sisters, let us be lights of hope! Let us maintain a positive outlook on reality. Let us encourage the generosity which is typical of the young and help them to work actively in building a better world.