Pope Francis
Argentine cardinal who, on 13 March 2013, became the first Latin American, the first Jesuit, and the first pope from outside Europe in over 1,200 years to lead the Roman Catholic Church. Born in 1936 in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrant parents, he served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires before his election to the papacy, and has become one of the most globally influential moral voices of the twenty-first century — known for his emphasis on humility, mercy, the dignity of the poor, the urgency of the climate crisis, and an inclusive ecumenical posture. His encyclicals Laudato Si' (2015, on the environment) and Fratelli Tutti (2020, on universal fraternity) have shaped global conversation well beyond Catholicism.
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Quotes by Pope Francis
110 quotes“Without mercy, no one can hear the Gospel.”
“To be a Christian is to be a witness of joy.”
“The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts of all who encounter Jesus.”
“This is what I would like to remind us all: the world cannot live without the poor.”
“And we cannot live without the poor.”
“Every life is sacred. From conception to natural death.”
“To be a saint is not the privilege of a few. It is the vocation of all.”
“Holiness is not boring. Holiness is alive.”
“There is no greater example of saintliness than the small acts of every day.”
“Saints next door — that is what we are called to be.”
“There is no other God beside love.”
“Love is the very source of life.”
“In every encounter with the poor, an encounter with Christ.”
“To welcome the migrant is to welcome Christ.”
“In every refugee, the Holy Family.”
“Build bridges, not walls.”
“The earth speaks to us. Listen.”
“All creation cries out to us about the oneness of life.”
“Who am I to judge?”
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