Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, died on Monday after suffering from double pneumonia.
He came to be known as a strong advocate for global peace, compassion, and social justice. In particular, he endeared himself to Muslims around the world for his repeated calls for a ceasefire during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed over 51,200 people, mostly women and children, between October 2023 and April 2025.
Here’s a collection of 10 striking quotes by Pope Francis.
“This is not war. This is terrorism.”
— On November 22, 2023, Pope Francis described the violence in Gaza as exceeding the boundaries of war.
“According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. It should be carefully investigated.”
— On November 19, 2024, he called for an investigation into whether Israel’s war on Gaza constituted genocide.
The late pontiff stands apart in terms of his vocal advocacy for the Palestinians mainly because he lived through Israel’s war that wreaked “unprecedented level of violence” on Gaza.
“I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”
— In November 2013, Pope Francis called for making the church more merciful and one that gets its hands dirty while seeking out the poor and oppressed.
“A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”
— In a 2013 address, Pope Francis emphasised mercy as a transformative force.
“How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?”
— On November 26, 2013, Pope Francis criticised societal priorities while highlighting his focus on the marginalised.
“Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else—God is in this person’s life… Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.”
Pope Francis calls for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts from an upcoming new book.
— In an interview from 2013, Pope Francis talked about his “dogmatic certainty” that God is present in every person’s life.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel.”
— During a press conference on February 18, 2016, aboard a papal flight, Pope Francis said this in response to a question about President Trump’s immigration policy and border walls initiative.
“I have incurred grave mistakes of judgement and perception of the situation, especially due to the lack of truthful and balanced information.”
— Pope Francis on his own failings, after initially defending a bishop accused of covering up abuse in a row that rocked the Church in Chile in April 2018.
“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.”
— Pope Francis, expressing his opposition to economic inequality in a 2013 Apostolic Exhortation.
“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.”
— Pope Francis criticised the world for closing its eyes to the plight of migrants, on the Italian island of Lampedusa, in July 2013.
