Top 500 Pope Francis Quotes (2026 Update)
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251. “Miracles happen. But prayer is needed! Prayer that is courageous, struggling and persevering, not prayer that is a mere formality.”

— Pope Francis

252. “Jesus is the sun and Mary is the dawn announcing his rising.”

— Pope Francis

253. “And with the grace of Baptism and of Eucharistic Communion I can become an instrument of God’s mercy, of that beautiful mercy of God.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

255. “Art in the Church fundamentally exists for evangelization.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

258. “Dear young people, do not be afraid of making decisive choices in life. Have faith; the Lord will not abandon you!”

— Pope Francis

259. “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!”

— Pope Francis

260. “Only trust in God can transform doubts into certainty, evil into good, night into radiant dawn.”

— Pope Francis

261. “What is most important subject you have to learn in life? To learn how to love. This is the challenge that life offers you: to learn bow to love. Not just to accumulate information without knowing what to do with it. But through that love, let that information bear fruit.”

— Pope Francis

262. “Christian hope is not a ghost and it does not deceive. It is a theological virtue and therefore, ultimately, a gift from God that cannot be reduced to optimism, which is only human. God does not mislead hope; God cannot deny himself. God is all promise.”

— Pope Francis

263. “It is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good.”

— Pope Francis

264. “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

265. “Together with a culture of work, there must be a culture of leisure as gratification. To put it another way: people who work must take the time to relax, to be with their families, to enjoy themselves, read, listen to music, play a sport.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

267. “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

268. “A Christian is never bored or sad. Rather, the one who loves Christ is full of joy and radiates joy.”

— Pope Francis

269. “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!”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

277. “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

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

— Pope Francis

279. “Be missionaries of God’s tenderness!”

— Pope Francis

280. “Where we find hate and darkness, may we bring love and hope, in order to give a more human face to society.”

— Pope Francis

281. “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

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

284. “It is important to integrate immigrants into society and to welcome them in the church community.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

286. “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

287. “As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family.”

— Pope Francis

288. “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

289. “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

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

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

292. “Spreading the Gospel means that we are the first to proclaim and live the reconciliation, forgiveness, peace, unity, and love that the Holy Spirit gives us.”

— Pope Francis

293. “We need courage if we are to be faithful to the Gospel.”

— Pope Francis

294. “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

295. “G. K. Chesterton: “When Man ceases to worship God he does not worship nothing but worships everything.”

— Pope Francis

296. “Together with the social responsibility of businesses, there is also the social responsibility of consumers. Every person ought to have the awareness that ’purchasing is always a moral-and not simply an economic-act.”

— Pope Francis

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

— Pope Francis

298. “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

299. “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

300. “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