Pope Francis death: Key quotes from the late pontiff's papacy
The pope's message for the poor - Three days after his election in March 2013, the pope said, “How I would like a poor church for the poor
On the LGBTQ community - Pope Francis embraced several communities under his papacy, which had previously been shunned by the church. In July 2013, he said, "If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?
In 2018 he also told a gay man, “God made you like this and he loves you.” He also stated in an interview in 2023, “Being a homosexual is not a crime
Pope Francis ended every speech with the words, “Pray for me.” When asked about this statement, he explained, “I am a sinner too
During World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, the Pope led a crowd of a half-million young people chanting “todos, todos, todos” (everyone, everyone, everyone) to stress that all are welcome in the Catholic Church
On the Russia-Ukraine war: In 2024, Pope Francis said in an interview that Ukraine should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. “I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,” he said
In 2016, the pontiff said, “Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian,” referring to US President Donald Trump's statements on banning immigrants during his first term in office
The Pope also spoke out on economic inequality in the world and said, “The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose
He added, about the exploitation of the developing world, “The land of the southern poor is rich and mostly unpolluted, yet access to ownership of goods and resources for meeting vital needs is inhibited by a system of commercial relations and ownership which is structurally perverse
The Pope held the cause of migrants particularly close to his heart, and said in 2013, “In this world of globalisation we have fallen into a globalisation of indifference. We are accustomed to the suffering of others, it doesn't concern us, it's none of our business
The Pope also advocated for mercy in the church's judgements, saying, “There is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father
In November, 2024, the Pope, expressed his sympathy for “those who leave Gaza in the midst of the famine that has struck their Palestinian brothers and sisters given the difficulty of getting food and aid into their territory
He added, “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies
In his last message on Easter Sunday, he spoke about Gaza once more, saying, "I express my closeness to the sufferings... for all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. Call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace