Top 500 Pope Francis Quotes (2024 Update)
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251. “We can study the whole history of salvation, we can study the whole of Theology, but without the Spirit we cannot understand. It is the Spirit that makes us realize the truth or – in the words of Our Lord – it is the Spirit that makes us know the voice of Jesus.”

— Pope Francis

252. “Let us never forget that authentic power is service, which has its radiant culmination on the Cross.”

— Pope Francis

253. “Charity, patience and tenderness are very beautiful gifts. If you have them, you want to share them with others.”

— Pope Francis

254. “We are all sinners. We are called to a conversion of heart.”

— Pope Francis

255. “The only war that we must all fight is the one against evil.”

— Pope Francis

256. “The person who gossips is a terrorist who drops a bomb, destroys, and they destroy others.”

— Pope Francis

257. “God’s love is free. He asks for nothing in return; all he wants is for his love to be accepted.”

— Pope Francis

258. “Where there is calumny, there is Satan himself.”

— Pope Francis

259. “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!”

— Pope Francis

260. “In the roughest moments, remember: God is our Father; God does not abandon his children.”

— Pope Francis

261. “Total openness to serving others is our hallmark, it alone is our title of honor!”

— Pope Francis

262. “Whoever does not pray to God, prays to the devil. When one does not profess Jesus Christ, one professes the worldliness of the devil.”

— Pope Francis

263. “First, we can pray in communion with the Church on earth and in heaven. Let us not underestimate the power of so many voices united in prayer!”

— Pope Francis

264. “Religious freedom is a fundamental human right.”

— Pope Francis

265. “May we always say thank you to God, especially for his patience and mercy.”

— Pope Francis

266. “For the sake of peace, religious beliefs must never be allowed to be abused in the cause of violence and war.”

— Pope Francis

267. “May the Lord bless the family and strengthen it in this moment of crisis.”

— Pope Francis

268. “The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more. It is time to return to the basics and to bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters. Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instils in us the courage to look to the future with hope.”

— Pope Francis

269. “Charity that does not change the situation of the poor isn’t enough.”

— Pope Francis

270. “I 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 Francis

271. “Dear young people, Jesus gives us life, life in abundance. If we are close to him we will have joy in our hearts and a smile on our face.”

— Pope Francis

272. “God asks everything of us, yet at the same time he offers everything to us.”

— Pope Francis

273. “The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us break the bonds of injustice and oppression which give rise to glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities.”

— Pope Francis

274. “Praise is the ‘breath’ which gives us life, because it is intimacy with God, an intimacy that grows through daily praise.”

— Pope Francis

275. “Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

277. “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!”

— Pope Francis

278. “The media only writes about the sinners and the scandals, he said, but that’s normal, because ’a tree that falls makes more noise than a forest that grows.”

— Pope Francis

279. “Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live for ever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”

— Pope Francis

280. “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.”

— Pope Francis

281. “Let us pray to the Lord and ask him to protect the family in the crisis with which the devil wants to destroy it. Families are the domestic church where Jesus grows in the love of a married couple, in the lives of their children.”

— Pope Francis

282. “Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God.”

— Pope Francis

283. “Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that creates huge inequalities.”

— Pope Francis

284. “Pastors must welcome the lost sheep. Actually, I made a mistake. I said welcome, rather, go out and find them.”

— Pope Francis

285. “If globalization seeks to bring all of us together, but to do so respecting each person, each individual person’s peculiarity, that globalization is good and makes us good and grow and leads to peace.”

— Pope Francis

286. “We cannot give up in the face of evil. God is Love and he has defeated evil through Christ’s death and resurrection.”

— Pope Francis

287. “If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good.”

— Pope Francis

288. “Religious life ought to promote growth in the Church by way of attraction. The Church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in this world.”

— Pope Francis

289. “Certainly, possessions, money, and power can give a momentary thrill, the illusion of being happy, but they end up possessing us and making us always want to have more, never satisfied. ‘Put on Christ’ in your life, place your trust in him, and you will never be disappointed!”

— Pope Francis

290. “Today people are suffering from poverty, but also from lack of love.”

— Pope Francis

291. “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

292. “States kill when they apply the death penalty, when they send their people to war, or when they carry out extra-judicial or summary executions. They can also kill by omission, when they fail to guarantee to their people access to the bare essentials for life.”

— Pope Francis

293. “Breathing is made up of two stages: inhaling, the intake of air, and exhaling, the letting out of air. The spiritual life is fed, nourished, by prayer and is expressed outwardly through mission: inhaling and exhaling. When we inhale, by prayer, we receive the fresh air of the Holy Spirit.”

— Pope Francis

294. “This is the mission of every Christian: lumina pandit – to spread the light and to tell the world of God’s love.”

— Pope Francis

295. “Each encounter with Jesus fills us with joy, with that deep joy which only God can give.”

— Pope Francis

296. “Today, we need a Church capable of walking at people’s side, of doing more than simply listening to them; a Church which accompanies them on their journey...”

— Pope Francis

297. “We ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him to implore peace for all the world.”

— Pope Francis

298. “I believe in the kindness of others, and that I must love them without fear.”

— Pope Francis

299. “I have neither silver nor gold, but I bring with me the most precious thing given to me: Jesus Christ.”

— Pope Francis

300. “I ask everyone with political responsibility to remember two things: human dignity and the common good.”

— Pope Francis