Pope Francis Quotes

These Pope Francis quotes and sayings guide Catholics.

The Pontiff shares his thoughts on various topics, including God, love, faith, hope, religion, mercy, and the Church. His greatest role is leading the Catholic Church.

He took his name from St. Francis of Assisi.

Quotes By Pope Francis

• How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?
• With the weapons of love, God has defeated selfishness and death. His son Jesus is the door of mercy wide open to all.
• To be merciful means to grow in a love that is courageous, generous, and real.
• We cannot sleep peacefully while babies are dying of hunger and the elderly are without medical assistance.
• Being a Christian is not just about following commandments; it is about letting Christ take possession of our lives and transform them.
• Instead of being just a church that welcomes and receives by keeping the doors open, let us also try to be a church that finds new roads, that is able to step outside itself and go to those who do not attend Mass, to those who have quit or are indifferent.
• The world needs the courage, hope, faith, and perseverance of Christ’s followers.

Best Pope Francis Sayings

• The principal mission of the Church is evangelization, bringing the Good News to everyone.
• The gift of the Holy Spirit has been bestowed in abundance so that we may live lives of genuine faith and active charity.
• A Christian is never bored or sad. Rather, the one who loves Christ is full of joy and radiates joy.
• 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.
• When evangelizers rise from prayer, their hearts are more open.
• We learn how to pray, just as we do to walk, speak, and listen. If you tell me how you pray, I can tell you how you live.
• In Jesus, I have met the one who is able to bring out the best in me.
• The future of our societies requires concrete action in favor of life on the part of everyone and especially institutions.
• God has caressed us with His mercy. Let us bring God’s tender caress to others, to those who are in need.
• A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.

Pope Francis Sayings

• In a broken world, to communicate with mercy means to help create closeness between the children of God.
• We are called to walk together, in the conviction that the future also depends on the encounter of religions and cultures.
• Since Christ is resurrected, we can look with new eyes and a new heart at every event of our lives, even the most negative ones.
• In the Church and in the journey of faith, women have had and still have a special role in opening doors to the Lord.
• We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment.
• Christianity spreads through the joy of disciples who know that they are loved and saved.
• Climate change represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity today, and the response requires the solidarity of all.
• Dialogue allows us to plan for a future in common. Through dialogue, we build peace, taking care of everyone.

All Our Welcome

• Let us pray for the grace to never grow tired of drawing from the well of the Father’s mercy and bringing it to the world.
• We are called to live not as one without others, above or against others, but with and for others.
• God’s mercy is forever; it never ends, it never runs out, it never gives up when faced with closed doors, and it never tires.
• Jesus asks to be looked in the eye, to be acknowledged, to be loved.
• Yes, we are sure of it: Christ indeed from death is risen!
• Our hope is the Lord Jesus, whom we recognize as living and present in us and in our brothers and sisters.
• Let us meditate with wonder and gratitude on the great mystery of the Lord’s Resurrection.
• Let us seek to always hold high the “tone” of our life, remembering the goal and glory for which we exist, work, struggle and suffer.
• We are called to live not as one without others, above or against others, but with and for others.
• 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.
• If we want to advance in the spiritual life, then we must constantly be missionaries.

Tip: Use these Pope Francis sayings as photo captions, daily affirmations, or below your sign-off in emails.

On Religion

• May no one use religion as a pretext for actions against human dignity and against the fundamental rights of every man and woman.
• It is not enough to say we are Christians. We must live the faith, not only with our words, but with our actions.
• Christian hope is a gift that God gives us if we come out of ourselves and open our hearts to him.
• In every age, the Risen Christ tirelessly seeks us, his brothers and sisters, wandering in the deserts of this world.
• Ask yourselves this question: How often is Jesus inside and knocking at the door to be let out, to come out? And we do not let him out because of our own need for security, because so often we are locked into ephemeral structures that serve solely to make us slaves and not free children of God.

Pope Francis Sayings image

• Dear young people, Christ asks you to be wide awake and alert, to see the things in life that really matter.
• The Lord never tires of forgiving. It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness.

The Pontiff’s Insights

• Before all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others, and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others.
• Living together is an art. It’s a patient art, it’s beautiful art, it’s fascinating.
• I prefer a church that is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets rather than a church that is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.
• No one can grow if he does not accept his smallness.
• Where there is truth, there is also light, but don’t confuse light with the flash.
• And here the first word that I wish to say to you: joy! Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions but of having encountered a Person, Jesus, in our midst.
• This is the struggle of every person: be free or be a slave.

Sayings of Pope Francis

• Mary teaches us to place our hope in God even when all seems without meaning, even when He seems hidden.
• Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between what they say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the Church’s credibility.
• 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.

On Saints and Home

• The Saints are not supermen, nor were they born perfect. When they recognized God’s love, they followed it and served others.
• The home is the place where we learn to appreciate the beauty of the faith, to pray, and serve our neighbor.
• If I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life.
• I never make a judgment of a person without listening to them. I believe that I should not do this. In our talk things will come out, I will say what I think, he will say what he thinks, but I never ever wanted to make a judgment without hearing the person.
• When disciples of Christ are transparent in heart and sensitive in life, they bring the Lord’s light to the places where they live and work.
• The true disciple of the Lord commits himself personally to a charitable ministry whose scope is man’s multiform and endless poverty.
• The future of society requires the fruitful encounter between young and old.
• Jesus loved us. Jesus loves us. Without limit, always, to the end.

Good Pope Quotes

• A true missionary who never ceases to be a disciple knows Jesus walks with him speaks to him, breathes with him, works with him.
• With the Ascension of Jesus, we participate in the fullness of life with God. Let us carry this in our hearts in our daily lives.
• What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known?
• We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are waiting for the Gospel!”
• Dear young people, do not be afraid of making decisive choices in life. Have faith; the Lord will not abandon you!
• The Church must pattern her behavior after the Son of God who went out to everyone without exception.

Pope Francis Quotes

• Always there are doors that are not closed. Look for the doors that are at least a little bit open, enter, and talk about common things and go on. Step by step. Peace is handcrafted. It is made every day.
• Only the person who feels happiness in seeking the good of others, in desiring their happiness, can be a missionary.
• 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.”
• The true joy which is experienced in the family is not something random and fortuitous, but normal and ongoing.
• God’s love is unbounded: it has no limits!
• If one has the answers to all the questions — that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble.
• If we wish to follow Christ closely, we cannot choose an easy, quiet life. It will be a demanding life but full of joy.
• If we think that things are not going to change, we need to recall that Jesus Christ has triumphed over sin and death and is now almighty.

On God

• The world tells us to seek success, power, and money; God tells us to seek humility, service, and love.
• To form a family is to be a part of God’s dream, to join him in building a world where no one will feel alone.
• God is in everyone’s life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs, or anything else — God is in this person’s life. You can; you must try to seek God in every human life. Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which a good seed can grow. You have to trust 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!

A Higher Power

• Christ is our greatest joy; he is always at our side and will never let us down.
• Let us take our Christian calling seriously and commit to live as believers.
• Do not tire of asking in prayer for the Lord’s help especially in difficulty.
• There is so much noise in the world! May we learn to be silent in our hearts and before God.
• We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.
• Children have the right to grow up in a family with a father and mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s development and emotional maturity. Today marriage and the family are in crisis.
• The family is where we are formed as people. Every family is a brick in the building of society.
• Being a believer means learning how to see with the eyes of faith.

The Almighty

• The royal road to peace is to see others not as enemies to be opposed but as brothers and sisters to be embraced.
• Loving and forgiving are tangible and visible signs that faith has transformed our hearts.
• The Gospel responds to our deepest needs since we were created for what the Gospel offers us: friendship with Jesus.
• More than a scientific question, the universe is a joyful mystery that speaks of God’s boundless love for us.
• Love is the only light that can constantly illuminate a world grown dim.
• The love of God is not generic. God looks with love upon every man and woman, calling them by name.
• The secret of Christian living is love. Only love fills the empty spaces caused by evil.

Tip: You might use these Pope Francis quotes as daily affirmations, in letters and communications, or as captions.

Mercy Quotations

• The way of the Church is not to condemn anyone forever, it is to pour out the balm of God’s mercy.
• Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.
• If our hearts and actions are inspired by charity, by divine love, then our communication will be touched by God’s own power.
• In prayer let us experience the compassion of God, full of merciful love.
• Jesus is more than a friend. He is a teacher of truth and life who shows us the way that leads to happiness.
• Children are a wonderful gift from God and a joy for parents.
• In the world of work today it is essential to educate and follow the luminous and demanding path of honesty.
• Open and caring families find a place for the poor.
• How marvelous 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!”
• If God is present in our lives, the joy of bringing the Gospel will be our strength and our happiness.

If you have any suggestions for Pope Francis’s quotes that would go well here, please let us know via the Contact page. Thanks.

By Michael O’Halloran

Michael O’Halloran founded Greeting Card Poet in 2014 and has worked as its publisher and editor ever since. He has co-authored four books on kids’ trivia and four on coaching. Previously, Michael was the president of Magnetic Poetry. He has invented and brought to market over 75 new gift and toy products, most of which involve wordplay. Mike is married and a father of four daughters.

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