Top 500 Pope Francis Quotes (2026 Update)
Page 4 of 10

151. “The Saints were not superhuman. They were people who loved God in their hearts, and who shared this joy with others.”

— Pope Francis

152. “Forgiveness 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 Francis

153. “The cross of Christ, embraced with love, never brings sadness with it, but joy, the joy of being saved and of doing a little of what he did on the day of his death.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

155. “Let’s return to our first love, in order to receive the fire which Jesus has kindled in the world and to bring that fire to all people, to the very ends of the earth.”

— Pope Francis

156. “Dear young people, you have many plans and dreams for the future. But, is Christ at the center of each of your plans and dreams?”

— Pope Francis

157. “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so. He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment.”

— Pope Francis

158. “Dear young people, put your talents at the service of the Gospel, with creativity and boundless charity.”

— Pope Francis

159. “We cannot trust in our own strength, but only in Jesus and in his mercy.”

— Pope Francis

160. “The secret of Christian living is love. Only love fills the empty spaces caused by evil.”

— Pope Francis

161. “To be friends with God means to pray with simplicity, like children talking to their parents.”

— Pope Francis

162. “The border between good and evil passes not outside of us but within us.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

164. “Trade unions have been an essential force for social change, without which a semblance of a decent and humane society is impossible under capitalism.”

— Pope Francis

165. “Holy Week is a good occasion to go to confession and to take up the right path again.”

— Pope Francis

166. “The parish is the presence of the Church in any given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.”

— Pope Francis

167. “The process of healing also needs to include the pursuit of truth, not for the sake of opening old wounds, but rather as a necessary means of promoting justice, healing and unity.”

— Pope Francis

168. “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.”

— Pope Francis

169. “An authentic faith-which is never comfortable or completely personal-always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it.”

— Pope Francis

170. “I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars. You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else.”

— Pope Francis

171. “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.”

— Pope Francis

172. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.”

— Pope Francis

173. “The Christian who does not feel that the Virgin Mary is his or her mother is an orphan.”

— Pope Francis

174. “Fraternal love is the nearest testimony that we can give that Jesus is alive among us.”

— Pope Francis

175. “Please waste time just playing with your kids!”

— Pope Francis

176. “The goods of the earth are meant for everyone.”

— Pope Francis

177. “Go, do not be afraid and serve.”

— Pope Francis

178. “All men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace.”

— Pope Francis

179. “No one is saved alone, as an isolated individual, but God attracts us looking at the complex web of relationships that take place in the human community. God enters into this dynamic, this participation in the web of human relationships.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

181. “These are roots of all evil, hatred and greed, for money, for the construction and for the sale of weapons. This should make us all think, who is behind it all?”

— Pope Francis

182. “Say no to an ephemeral, superficial and throwaway culture, a culture that assumes that you are incapable of taking on responsibility and facing the great challenges of life!”

— Pope Francis

183. “Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death.”

— Pope Francis

184. “My people are poor and I am one of them.”

— Pope Francis

185. “Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace.”

— Pope Francis

186. “Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

188. “Where there is truth, there is also light, but don’t confuse light with the flash.”

— Pope Francis

189. “The fight against evil is long and difficult. It is essential to pray constantly and to be patient.”

— Pope Francis

190. “Christ comes among us at Christmas: it is the perfect time for a personal encounter with the Lord.”

— Pope Francis

191. “To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us.”

— Pope Francis

192. “The Christian family is missionary: it announces the love of God to the world.”

— Pope Francis

193. “Mary’s life shows that God accomplishes great deeds through those who are the most humble.”

— Pope Francis

194. “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she bears witness to God’s love. Be missionaries of God’s tenderness!”

— Pope Francis

195. “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.”

— Pope Francis

196. “I believe in the old warrior’s credo that “to the victor go the spoils.””

— Pope Francis

197. “The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded.”

— Pope Francis

198. “Forgiveness, dialogue, reconciliation – these are the words of peace, in beloved Syria, in the Middle East, in all the world.”

— Pope Francis

199. “How does St. Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand.”

— Pope Francis

200. “Your sins are great? Just tell the Lord: Forgive me, help me to get up again, change my heart!”

— Pope Francis