Highlights from the wisdom of Pope Francis
The Catholic Herald• May 3, 2025
By way of inspiration this weekend, and to provide a reminder of and insight into the heart and mind of the man who just left us, here are highlights of the late Pontiff’s memorable sayings:
On priestly ministry
A good priest can be recognised by the way his people are anointed: this is a clear proof. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news. Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me Father”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into a prayer of supplication, the supplication of the People of God.
—Chrism Mass, 28 March 2013
On the Sacred Liturgy
We owe to the Council – and to the liturgical movement that preceded it – the rediscovery of a theological understanding of the Liturgy and of its importance in the life of the Church. As the general principles spelled out in Sacrosanctum Concilium have been fundamental for the reform of the liturgy, they continue to be fundamental for the promotion of that full, conscious, active, and fruitful celebration (cf SC 11; 14), in the liturgy “the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit” (SC 14). With this letter I simply want to invite the whole Church to rediscover, to safeguard, and to live the truth and power of the Christian celebration. I want the beauty of the Christian celebration and its necessary consequences for the life of the Church not to be spoiled by a superficial and foreshortened understanding of its value or, worse yet, by its being exploited in service of some ideological vision, no matter what the hue. The priestly prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper that all may be one (Jn 17:21) judges every one of our divisions around the Bread broken, around the sacrament of mercy, the sign of unity, the bond of charity.
—Desiderio desideravi, 29 June 2022
On literature
Often during periods of boredom on holiday, in the heat and quiet of some deserted neighbourhood, finding a good book to read can provide an oasis that keeps us from other choices that are less wholesome. Likewise, in moments of weariness, anger, disappointment or failure, when prayer itself does not help us find inner serenity, a good book can help us weather the storm until we find peace of mind. Time spent reading may well open up new interior spaces that help us to avoid becoming trapped by a few obsessive thoughts that can stand in the way of our personal growth. Indeed, before our present unremitting exposure to social media, mobile phones and other devices, reading was a common experience, and those who went through it know what I mean. It is not something completely outdated.
—On Literature in Formation, 17 July 2024
On the reform of penal law
In the past, great damage was done by a failure to appreciate the close relationship existing in the Church between the exercise of charity and recourse – where circumstances and justice so require – to disciplinary sanctions. This manner of thinking – as we have learned from experience – risks leading to tolerating immoral conduct, for which mere exhortations or suggestions are insufficient remedies. This situation often brings with it the danger that over time such conduct may become entrenched, making correction more difficult and in many cases creating scandal and confusion among the faithful. For this reason, it becomes necessary for bishops and superiors to inflict penalties. Negligence on the part of a bishop in resorting to the penal system is a sign that he has failed to carry out his duties honestly and faithfully.
—Pascite gregem Dei, 23 May 2021
On the Sacred Heart
Our relationship to the Person of Jesus Christ is one of friendship and adoration, drawn by the love represented under the image of his heart. We venerate that image, yet our worship is directed solely to the living Christ, in his divinity and his plenary humanity, so that we may be embraced by his human and divine love. Whatever the image employed, it is clear that the living heart of Christ is the object of our worship, for it is part of his holy risen body, which is inseparable from the Son of God who assumed that body forever. We worship it because it is “the heart of the Person of the Word, to whom it is inseparably united”.
—Dilexit nos, 24 October 2024
On young people
You, dear young people, are not the future. We like to say, “You are the future.” No, you are the present. You are not the future of God, you young people are the now of God. He invites you and calls you in your communities and cities to go out and find your grandparents, your elders; to stand up and with them to speak out and realise the dream that the Lord has dreamed for you. Not tomorrow, now, for wherever your treasure is now, there will your heart also be (cf Mt 6:21). Whatever you fall in love with, it will win over not only your imagination, it will affect every thing. It will be what makes you get up in the morning, what keeps you going at times of fatigue, what will break open your hearts and fill you with wonder, joy and gratitude. Realise that you have a mission and fall in love; that will decide every thing (cf. Pedro Arrupe SJ, Nada es más práctico). We may possess everything, but, dear young friends, if we lack the passion of love, we will have nothing. The passion of love today! Let us allow the Lord to make us fall in love and let him take us into the future!
—World Youth Day, 27 January 2019
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Photo: Pope Francis waves to thousands of followers as he arrives at Manila Cathedral in Manila, Philippines, 16 January 2015. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.)