Few leaders spoke with the warmth, wisdom and weight of Pope Francis. No matter the subject of his address his words cut through and challenged us to see each other, the world and our faith differently. Here are ten of his most profound statements
1. God is unbound by denomination
“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” (2013)
2. God loves the unworthy
“Jesus’ love goes before us, his look anticipates our needs. He can see beyond appearances, beyond sin, beyond failures and unworthiness. He sees beyond our rank in society. He sees beyond this, to our dignity as sons and daughters, a dignity at times sullied by sin, but one which endures in the depth of our soul. He came precisely to seek out all those who feel unworthy of God, unworthy of others.” (2015)
3. Beauty points to God
“All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful brings us to God. Because God is good, God is beautiful, God is the truth.” (2015)
4. The false promises of idolatry
“Idolatry, then, is always polytheism, an aimless passing from one lord to another. Idolatry does not offer a journey but rather a plethora of paths leading nowhere and forming a vast labyrinth.” (2013)
5. The greatest treasure
“I have neither silver nor gold, but I bring with me the most precious thing given to me: Jesus Christ! I have come in his name, to feed the flame of fraternal love that burns in every heart; and I wish my greeting to reach one and all: The peace of Christ be with you!” (2013)
6. Bring the Bible to the streets
“Let us pray, and let us ensure that the Bible does not remain in the library among the many books that speak of it, but rather that it runs through the streets of the world and waits where people live.” (2017)
7. Jesus is the centre
“The centre 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.” (2013)
8. God knows us by name
“Before God we are not strangers, or numbers. We are faces and hearts, known one by one, by name.” (2020)
9. Share the good news
“Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father, walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace. That peace which is born of accepting others, that peace which fills our hearts whenever we look upon those in need as our brothers and sisters.” (2015)
10. Jesus is with us on the journey
“Life is a journey, along different roads, different paths, which leave their mark on us. We know in faith that Jesus seeks us out. He wants to heal our wounds, to soothe our feet which hurt from traveling alone, to wash each of us clean of the dust from our journey.” (2015)
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