Top 10 Quotes from Pope Francis’ Trip to the US

1.   Religious Freedom – A Precious Possession:
American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination. With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty. That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions.” Address at the White House


2.   The Scandal of Petty Love:

Would that we could all be prophets! Would that all of us could be open to miracles of love for the sake of all the families of the world, and thus overcome the scandal of a narrow, petty love, closed in on itself, impatient of others! Homily at World Meeting of Families

3.   The Danger of Imbalanced Christianity:

A Christianity which “does” little in practice, while incessantly “explaining” its teachings, is dangerously unbalanced. I would even say that it is stuck in a vicious circle. A pastor must show that the “Gospel of the family” is truly “good news” in a world where self-concern seems to reign supreme! Meeting with Bishops at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia

4.   Wounded Prison Systems, Wounded People:

It is painful when we see prison systems which are not concerned to care for wounds, to soothe pain, to offer new possibilities. It is painful when we see people who think that only others need to be cleansed, purified, and do not recognize that their weariness, pain and wounds are also the weariness, pain and wounds of society. Remarks to Detainees of Correctional Facility in Philadelphia

5.   The Environment is a Fundamental Good:

We Christians, together with the other monotheistic religions, believe that the universe is the fruit of a loving decision by the Creator, who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the Creator; he is not authorized to abuse it, much less to destroy it. In all religions, the environment is a fundamental good. Address to the United Nations

6.   United in the Care of the Poor, Defenseless:

I take this opportunity to thank all those, of whatever religion, who have sought to serve the God of peace by building cities of brotherly love, by caring for our neighbors in need, by defending the dignity of God’s gift of life in all its stages, by defending the cause of the poor and the immigrant. All too often, those most in need of our help are unable to be heard. You are their voice, and many of you have faithfully made their cry heard. Speech at Independence Mall, Philadelphia

7.   Jesus Knocks On Our Doors:

Jesus keeps knocking on our doors, the doors of our lives. He doesn’t do this by magic, with special effects, with flashing lights and fireworks. Jesus keeps knocking on our door in the faces of our brothers and sisters, in the faces of our neighbors, in the faces of those at our side. Speech at Charitable Center of St. Patrick Parish, Washington, D.C.

8.   Avoid Polarization, Division:

The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. Address to the United States Congress

 9.  Pope Francis didn’t say anything public when he went on an impromptu visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor, but he still said a lot with his silent witness of solidarity, so I included that visit in my top ten.
 10.Gayism
 "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"
Returning from his first papal overseas trip to Brazil in 2013, Pope Francis was asked about gay priests. In a more compassionate tone than his predecessor, the pontiff said gay Christians should not be marginalized.