Pope francis quotes

Jesus understands our weaknesses and sins; and he forgives us if we allow ourselves to be forgiven.

A Senate vote on gay marriage is a destructive pretension against the plan of God

To be saints is not a privilege for a few, but a vocation for everyone.

Holiness doesn't mean doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith.

Today, there are those who say that marriage is out of fashion... They say that it is not worth making a life-long commitment, making a definitive decision, ‘for ever’, because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, that believes you are incapable of true love.

Today people are suffering from poverty, but also from lack of love

If I repeated some passages from the homilies of the Church Fathers, in the second or third century, about how we must treat the poor, some would accuse me of giving a Marxist homily.

Take good care of creation. St. Francis wanted that. People occasionally forgive, but nature never does. If we don't take care of the environment, there's no way of getting around it.

I think the church has to apologize not only to the gay person it has offended, but also to the poor, to women who are exploited, to children forced into labor and for having blessed so many weapons in the past.

Too often we participate in the globalization of indifference. May we strive instead to live global solidarity.

The family is the greatest treasure of any country. Let us all work to protect and strengthen this, the cornerstone of society.

The love of God is not something vague or generic; the love of God has a name and a face: Jesus Christ.

One day we will see our animals again in eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all God’s creatures.

Do not be afraid to dream great things!

God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.

This is what marriage is all about - Man and woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become ever more a woman, and wherein the woman has the task of helping her husband to become ever more a man.

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. 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!

Without a solution to the problems of the poor, we will not solve the problems of the world. We need projects, mechanisms and processes to implement better distribution of resources, from the creation of new jobs to the integral promotion of those who are excluded'.

In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ.

It is not enough to say we are Christians. We must live the faith, not only with our words, but with our actions.

A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be - and not building bridges - is not Christian.

When you lose the capacity to dream, you lose the capacity to love, and the energy to love is lost.

A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: 'Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?' We must always consider the person.

Negative feelings choke the Lord’s word in us.

Miracles happen. But prayer is needed! Prayer that is courageous, struggling and persevering, not prayer that is a mere formality.

Do not be afraid! Our Father is patient, he loves us, he gives us Jesus to guide us on the way which leads to the promised land. Jesus is the light who brightens the darkness. He is our peace.

You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That's how prayer works.

Lord, teach us to step outside ourselves. Teach us to go out into the streets and manifest your love.

I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.

That which gives us true freedom and true happiness is the compassionate love of Christ.

Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more

Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.

Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles. Are we ready to serve others like this.

We are all sinners. But may the Lord not let us be hypocrites. Hypocrites don’t know the meaning of forgiveness, joy and the love of God.

The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.

All it takes is one good person to restore hope.

From my point of view, God is the light that illuminates the darkness, even if it does not dissolve it, and a spark of divine light is within each of us.

I ask you to ensure that humanity is served by wealth, and not ruled by it.

Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him.

Let us pause before the Child of Bethlehem. Let us allow our hearts to be touched, let us allow ourselves to be warmed by the tenderness of God; we need his caress. God is full of love: to him be praise and glory forever! God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world. Let us allow ourselves to be moved by God's goodness.

The Holy Spirit, in the variety of his gifts, unites us and enables us to contribute to the building up of the Church in holiness. In this great work, each of us has a part to play; each of us, as a "living stone", is needed for the growth and the beauty of God's holy temple. Let us ask the Lord to help us to take an ever more active part in the Church's life and mission, guided by the Holy Spirit and with Jesus as our cornerstone.

Evangelization does not consist in proselytizing, for proselytizing is a caricature of evangelization, but rather evangelizing entails attracting by our witness those who are far off, it means humbly drawing near to those who feel distant from God in the Church, drawing near to those who feel judged and condemned outright by those who consider themselves to be perfect and pure.

There is no cross, big or small, in our life which the Lord does not share with us.

This may sound like heresy, but it is the greatest truth! It is more difficult to let God love us, than to love Him! The best way to love Him in return is to open our hearts and let Him love us. Let Him draw close to us and feel Him close to us. This is really very difficult: letting ourselves be loved by Him. And that is perhaps what we need to ask today in the Mass: 'Lord, I want to love You, but teach me the difficult science, the difficult habit of letting myself be loved by You, to feel You close and feel Your tenderness ! May the Lord give us this grace.

Let us never lose hope! God loves us always, even with our mistakes and sins.

The world tells us to seek success, power and money; God tells us to seek humility, service and love.

Faith is professed with the lips and with the heart, through words & through love.

Don't let anyone rob you of hope.

If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him? The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well. It says they should not be marginalized because of this (orientation) but that they must be integrated into society. The problem is not having this orientation. We must be brothers.

Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.

A Christian brings peace to others. Not only peace, but also love, kindness, faithfulness and joy.

Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker ... the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.

Life is a journey. When we stop, things don't go right.

Let Jesus preach to you, and and let Jesus heal you. We are all wounded. Everyone.

Our deepest joy comes from Christ: remaining with him, walking with him, being his disciples.

To all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world, marked by greater solidarity!

Dear young people, please, don’t be observers of life, but get involved. Jesus did not remain an observer, but he immersed himself. Don’t be observers, but immerse yourself in the reality of life, as Jesus did.

Let us thank all those who teach in Catholic schools. Educating is an act of love; it is like giving life.

How marvellous it would be if, at the end of the day, each of us could say: today I have performed an act of charity towards others!

Lord Jesus, make us capable of loving as you love.

But always think this: do not be afraid of failure. Do not be afraid of falling. In the art of walking, what is important is not avoiding the fall but not remaining fallen.

There is so much noise in the world! May we learn to be silent in our hearts and before God.

Dear young people, do not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things!

So many of you have lost everything. I do not know what to tell you. But surely he knows what to tell you! So many of you have lost members of your family. I can only be silent; I accompany you silently, with my heart...

God never tires of forgiving us.

Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.

Whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.

Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.

Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity

The Earth is our environment to protect and the garden to tend to.

Having faith does not mean having no difficulties, but having the strength to face them, knowing we are not alone.

Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.

In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could lead to a hardness of heart, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of the boundless love of God, in order to experience his tenderness

Work is fundamental to the dignity of the person. Work, to use an image, 'anoints' with dignity, fills us with dignity, makes us similar to God who has worked and still works, who always acts.

Let us learn from Christ how to pray, to forgive, to sow peace, and to be near those in need.

We are all sinners. But God heals us with an abundance of grace, mercy and tenderness

The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty!

The Church is called to draw near to every person, beginning with the poorest and those who suffer.

Essential to the attainment of these national goals is the moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human dignity. The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us to break the bonds of injustice and oppression which give rise to glaring, and indeed, scandalous social inequalities. Reforming the social structures which perpetuate poverty and the exclusion of the poor first requires a conversion of mind and heart.

Just as we need the courage to be happy, we also need the courage to live simply.

May we try to listen and be silent in order to make space for the beauty of God.

Have the courage "to swim against the tide". Have the courage to be happy.

One cannot proclaim the Gospel of Jesus without the tangible witness of one’s life. Those who listen to us and observe us must be able to see in our actions what they hear from our lips, and so give glory to God!

The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, “the Church which presides in charity”, is communion with the Orthodox Churches.

All walls fall. Today, tomorrow or in 100 years, they will fall. It's not a solution. The wall isn't a solution. In this moment, Europe is in difficult, it's true. We have to be intelligent, and whoever comes...that migrant flow. It's not easy to find solutions, but with dialogue between nations they should be found. Walls are never solutions. But bridges are, always, always.

When one lives attached to money, pride or power, it is impossible to be truly happy.

I believe in God - not in a Catholic God; there is no Catholic God. There is God, and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation. Jesus is my teacher and my pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my Being.

In a very real way, the poor are our teachers. They show us that people’s value is not measured by their possessions or how much money they have in the bank. A poor person, a person lacking material possessions, always maintains his or her dignity. The poor can teach us much about humility and trust in God.

Around us there is the presence of evil. The devil is at work. But in a loud voice I say: GOD IS STRONGER.

Christ leads us to go out from ourselves more and more, to give ourselves and to serve others.

We must overcome...all forms of racism. The problem of intolerance should be dealt with as a whole: every time a minority is persecuted and marginalized...the good of the whole society is in danger.

If we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.

A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.

Wretched are those who are vindictive and spiteful.

We must walk united with our differences: there is no other way to become one. This is the way of Jesus.

If money and material things become the center of our lives, they seize us and make us slaves.

The Holy Spirit transforms and renews us, creates harmony and unity, and gives us courage and joy for mission.

Mary joins us, she fights at our side. She supports Christians in the fight against the forces of evil. Especially through prayer, through the rosary. Hear me out, the rosary... Do you pray the Rosary each day?

The great danger in today's world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor.

No one can grow if he does not accept his smallness.

Each one of us is called to be an artisan of peace, by uniting and not dividing, by extinguishing hatred and not holding on to it, by opening paths to dialogue and not by constructing new walls!

How I wish that all men and women of good will would look to the Cross if only for a moment! There, we can see God’s reply: violence is not answered with violence, death is not answered with the language of death. In the silence of the Cross, the uproar of weapons ceases and the language of reconciliation, forgiveness, dialogue, and peace is spoken.

You can't have Christ without the Church.

Gossip can also kill, because it kills the reputation of the person! It is so terrible to gossip! At first it may seem like a nice thing, even amusing, like enjoying a candy. But in the end, it fills the heart with bitterness, and even poisons us.

The love of God is not generic. God looks with love upon every man and woman, calling them by name.

Practicing charity is the best way to evangelize.

With Christ as the center of your life, you will never be disappointed.

A good teacher does not get lost in the details, but points to what is essential so that the child or student can find meaning and joy in life.

The search for God means having the courage to set out on a risky path, it means following our restless hearts.

That is why the center of our faith isn't just a book, but a history of Salvation, and above all, it's about a person: Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh.

The whole of salvation history is the story of God looking for us: he offers us love and welcomes us with tenderness.

Once capital becomes an idol and guides people's decisions, once greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system, it ruins society, it condemns and enslaves men and women, it destroys human fraternity, it sets people against one another and it even puts at risk our common home.

Every man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions: ‘Do I love my people in order to serve them better? Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path.’ If you don’t ask those questions, your governance will not be good.

To change the world we must be good to those who cannot repay us.

Our faith in Christ, who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members.

How powerful prayer is! May we never lose the courage to say: Lord, give us your peace.

Let us not grow tired of knocking at God's door. Let us go to the heart of God through Mary, our whole life, every day, knocking at the door of God's heart! Mary prays - prays together with the community of disciples, and teaches us to have full faith in God, in his mercy. This is the power of prayer!

We are a church of sinners but we must not be afraid of holiness. Do not be afraid to aim for holiness and turn yourselves over to the love of God. Holiness does not mean performing extraordinary things but carrying out daily things in an extraordinary way that is with love, joy and faith.

If we wish to follow Christ closely, we cannot choose an easy, quiet life. It will be a demanding life, but full of joy.

Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up, I have to cut others down.' Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy.

Let us learn to live with kindness, to love everyone, even when they do not love us.

The perfect family doesn't exist, nor is there a perfect husband or a perfect wife, and let's not talk about the perfect mother-in-law! It's just us sinners. A healthy family life requires frequent use of three phrases: "May I? Thank you, and I'm sorry" and "never, never, never end the day without making peace."

Whenever I have a problem, I ask the Saint (Thérèse of Lisieux) not to solve it, but to take it into her hands and to help me accept it and I almost always receive a white rose as a sign.

There is no sin that God cannot pardon. All we need to do is ask for forgiveness

I cannot imagine a Christian who does not know how to smile. May we joyfully witness to our faith.