20
Quotes From Pope Francis' First Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii
Gaudium"
Pope Francis has
issued his first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the
Gospel.) Vatican Radio says “The 224-page document outlines the Pope’s vision
for a missionary Church, whose “doors should always be open”. The Pope speaks
on numerous themes, including evangelization, peace, homiletics, social
justice, the family, respect for creation, faith and politics, ecumenism,
interreligious dialogue, and the role of women and of the laity in the Church.
The entire 48,000 word
document can be found on the Vatican’s Website
For quick reading,
here are 20 quotes from the document. These quotes are in no way meant to
represent the overall tone, meaning or intent of the Holy Father’s Apostolic
Exhortation. The full document is nuanced and full of thought-provoking messages
which should be read in full to fully grasp.
1. “The great danger in today’s world, pervaded
as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet
covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted
conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests
and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s
voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the
desire to do good fades.”
2. “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this
very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an
openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly
each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her,
since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”
3. “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the
ones who tire of seeking his mercy.”
4. “The Gospel, radiant with the glory of
Christ’s cross, constantly invites us to rejoice.”
5. “There are Christians whose lives seem like
Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way
at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and
changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal
certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.”
6. “It is not advisable for the Pope to take the
place of local Bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their
territory. In this sense, I am conscious of the need to promote a sound
“decentralization”.
7. “Since I am called to put into practice what I
ask of others, I too must think about a conversion of the papacy. It is my
duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be open to suggestions which can help make the
exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished
to give it and to the present needs of evangelization.”
8. “All revealed truths derive from the same
divine source and are to be believed with the same faith, yet some of them are
more important for giving direct expression to the heart of the Gospel. In this
basic core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made
manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead.”
9. “I want to remind priests that the
confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the
Lord’s mercy which spurs us on to do our best. A small step, in the midst of
great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears
outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great
difficulties. Everyone needs to be touched by the comfort and attraction of
God’s saving love, which is mysteriously at work in each person, above and
beyond their faults and failings.”
10. “The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of
sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and
nourishment for the weak.”
11. “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?”
12. “In this context, some people continue to
defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a
free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and
inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the
facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding
economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic
system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”
13. “The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike,
but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help,
respect and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and a return
of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favours human beings.”
14. “Marriage now tends to be viewed as a form of
mere emotional satisfaction that can be constructed in any way or modified at
will. But the indispensible contribution of marriage to society transcends the
feelings and momentary needs of the couple.”
15. “Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be
realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled
commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigour!”
16. “If anyone feels offended by my words, I would
respond that I speak them with affection and with the best of intentions, quite
apart from any personal interest or political ideology. My words are not those
of a foe or an opponent. I am interested only in helping those who are in
thrall to an individualistic, indifferent and self-centred mentality to be
freed from those unworthy chains and to attain a way of living and thinking
which is more humane, noble and fruitful, and which will bring dignity to their
presence on this earth.”
17. “The Church has no wish to hold back the
marvellous progress of science. On the contrary, she rejoices and even delights
in acknowledging the enormous potential that God has given to the human mind.
Whenever the sciences – rigorously focused on their specific field of inquiry –
arrive at a conclusion which reason cannot refute, faith does not contradict
it. Neither can believers claim that a scientific opinion which is attractive
but not sufficiently verified has the same weight as a dogma of faith. At times
some scientists have exceeded the limits of their scientific competence by
making certain statements or claims. But here the problem is not with reason
itself, but with the promotion of a particular ideology which blocks the path
to authentic, serene and productive dialogue.”
18. “As Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as
a foreign religion; nor do we include the Jews among those called to turn from
idols and to serve the true God.”
19. “Sometimes we are tempted to be that kind of
Christian who keeps the Lord’s wounds at arm’s length. Yet Jesus wants us to
touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we
will stop looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from
the maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other
people’s lives and know the power of tenderness. Whenever we do so, our lives
become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a people,
to be part of a people.”
20. “My mission of being in the heart of the
people is not just a part of my life or a badge I can take off; it is not an
“extra” or just another moment in life. Instead, it is something I cannot
uproot from my being without destroying my very self. I am a mission on
this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world.”
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