When Jorge Mario Bergoglio stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in March 2013 as the newly elected Pope Francis, it was immediately clear that history had just taken a remarkable turn.
He was the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit to assume the papacy, and the first to adopt the name “Francis” — inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, a man known for his love for the poor, simplicity, and peace.
From the very start, Pope Francis made it clear that his leadership would be rooted not in pomp or protocol, but in humility, compassion, and human connection. He chose to live in a modest guesthouse, declined the traditional papal limousine, and frequently spoke about the Church as a place for healing, not judgment.
His papacy, which concluded with his death on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, is notable not only for the reforms he introduced but also for the distinctive manner in which he communicated. Through his public remarks and spontaneous interviews, Pope Francis often addressed complex issues with simplicity and directness, capturing widespread attention.
With that context, here are eight documented statements from the late pontiff that resonated globally and featured prominently in public discourse on faith, society, and leadership.
1. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
This now-iconic quote was delivered by Pope Francis during an in-flight press conference on July 29, 2013, after his first overseas trip as pontiff to Brazil for World Youth Day. A reporter had asked him about the existence of a gay lobby in the Vatican and his thoughts on gay priests.
Rather than deliver a doctrinal rebuke, the Pope responded with extraordinary compassion and humility. His rhetorical question, “Who am I to judge?” became a global headline, marking a stunning shift in tone from previous papal statements on homosexuality. While he did not alter official Church teaching, he invited Catholics and the world at large to embrace a more merciful, non-judgemental approach to LGBTQ+ individuals. The phrase became synonymous with his pastoral philosophy: mercy over legalism.
2. “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”
Pope Francis made this remark in 2013 during one of his weekly Angelus addresses in St. Peter’s Square, just months into his papacy. At the time, the Church was grappling with deep internal scandals, and people around the world were disillusioned with institutional religion.
This simple but profound line summed up his vision for a more compassionate Church — one that does not only uphold laws, but heals wounds. Mercy, for Francis, was not just a personal virtue; it was a call to action for the Church and society. He would go on to declare 2016 as the Year of Mercy, encouraging Catholics everywhere to practise forgiveness and generosity in their daily lives.
3. “This economy kills.”
This piercing quote came from his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), published in November 2013. In it, Pope Francis sharply criticised global capitalism and the trickle-down economic theories that, in his view, left millions in poverty while enriching a privileged few.
“These mechanisms,” he wrote, “defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation,” but they ignore the marginalised and the suffering. “This economy kills,” he warned — a bold indictment that framed poverty as not just a social issue but a moral one. The phrase reverberated in international economic forums and solidified his image as a pope concerned with structural injustice, not just spiritual matters.
4. “We are not living in an era of change but a change of era.”
Pope Francis used this striking observation during a 2015 speech to the Catholic media in Florence, as he reflected on how the Church must respond to modern realities. For him, the upheavals brought by technology, migration, climate change, and secularism were not minor adjustments but a fundamental turning point in human history.
The quote underscored his belief that the Church needed to evolve — not by clinging to outdated forms or merely updating rituals, but by truly understanding and engaging with the world’s deep transformations. It became a rallying cry for a more agile, responsive, and future-facing Church.
5. “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets.”
This evocative image appeared again in Evangelii Gaudium, where Francis criticised a church that becomes too inward-looking or obsessed with its own preservation. He encouraged believers to go out into the “peripheries” — both geographic and existential — to meet people in their daily struggles.
For Francis, evangelisation meant being present where people are suffering, not staying sheltered behind cathedral walls. His metaphor of a “dirty” but active Church captured his deep belief in service, risk, and real-world engagement over comfort and perfection.
6. “Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of the poor and the hungry.”
During a 2013 general audience, Pope Francis lamented global food waste, saying it was part of a larger moral and ecological crisis. The line was later echoed in his environmental encyclical Laudato Si’, published in 2015, where he called for an integral ecology — recognising the link between how we treat the environment and how we treat the poor.
7. “Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit.”
This poetic line comes from one of Pope Francis’s speeches in 2019, made during a general audience as he discussed the importance of selflessness and service. He used natural metaphors to stress a fundamental Christian teaching: that we are here not to consume, but to give.
He continued the analogy by saying, “The sun does not shine on itself, and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.” In essence, he was offering a gentle but urgent reminder that our purpose is found in generosity, in living for others, and in contributing to the common good.
8. “God is not afraid of new things.”
Speaking during the Synod on the Family in October 2014, Pope Francis used this quote to address the Church’s slow response to evolving family dynamics and societal changes. At the time, the Synod were debating issues such as divorce, remarriage, and how to welcome same-sex couples.
Francis encouraged the bishops to embrace dialogue and not to be afraid of change. His statement sent a message of openness — that fidelity to tradition does not mean being frozen in time, and that God’s truth can still speak through fresh expressions, new challenges, and evolving human experiences.