Quotes by Pope Francis

“Happiness means knowing how to limit some needs which only diminish us, and being open to the many different possibilities which life can offer.”

“No amount of 'peace-building' will be able to last, nor will harmony and happiness be attained, in a society that ignores, pushes to the margins, or excludes a part of itself; it loses something es...”

“When the search for pleasure becomes obsessive, it holds us in thrall and keeps us from experiencing other satisfactions. Joy, on the other hand, increases our pleasure and helps us find fulfilment...”

“...only the exclusive and indissoluble union between a man and a woman has a plenary role to play in society as a stable commitment that bears fruit in new life.”

“It is in the very nature of conjugal love to be definitive. The lasting union expressed by the marriage vows is more than a formality or a traditional formula; it is rooted in the natural inclinati...”

“Natural marriage, therefore, is fully understood in the light of its fulfilment in the sacrament of Matrimony: only in contemplating Christ does a person come to know the deepest truth about human ...”

“Narcissism makes people incapable of looking beyond themselves, beyond their own desires and needs.”

“They believe, along the lines of social networks, that love can be connected or disconnected at the whim of the consumer, and the relationship quickly "blocked". We treat affective relationships th...”

“Freedom of choice makes it possible to plan our lives and to make the most of ourselves. Yet if this freedom lacks noble goals or personal discipline, it degenerates into an inability to give onese...”

“A child deserves to be born of that love, and not by any other means, for he or she is not something owed to one, but is a gift, which is the fruit of the specific act of the conjugal love of the p...”

“It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life, and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality. Let us not fall ...”

“Families who lovingly accept the difficult trial of a child with special needs are greatly to be admired. They render the Church and society an invaluable witness of faithfulness to the gift of lif...”

“Mercy will always be greater than any sin, no one can put a limit on the love of the all-forgiving God. Just by looking at him, just raising our eyes from ourselves and our wounds, we leave an open...”

“Instead of imposing new obligations, (Christians) should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet.”

“We need to remember and remind ourselves where we come from, what we are, our nothingness.”

“What need does the earth have of us?”

“Sin is more than a stain. Sin is a wound; it needs to be treated, healed. The place where my encounter with the mercy of Jesus takes place is my sin.”

“God forgives not with a decree but with a caress. Jesus too goes beyond the law and forgives by caressing the wounds of our sins.”

“The problem is not in being sinners, the problem is when we don't let ourselves be transformed in love by the encounter with Christ.”

“The lack of historical memory is a serious shortcoming in our society. A mentality that can only say, Then was then, now is now, is ultimately immature. Knowing and judging past events is the only ...”