The Vatican announced that Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on Monday morning. Here are some of the pope’s most memorable quotes.
Pope Francis often spoke of acceptance and compassion towards fellow man and worked to make the church a more welcoming place to women and the LGBTQ+ community.
On Easter, during his last public appearance, the pope called for peace and asked world leaders “not to yield to the logic of fear.”
Powerful words on immigration
During his time at the Vatican, Pope Francis also advocated for the rights of immigrants.
“It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help,” he told a meeting of German faithful at the Vatican in October 2016.
Women in the church
“The struggle for women’s rights is a continuing struggle,” Pope Francis told reporters in November 2022. “We have to continue struggling for this because women are a gift. God did not create man and then give him a lapdog to play with. He created both equal, man and woman.”
While the pope ruled out allowing women to become priests, he advocated for them having more leadership roles in the church.
“I have noticed that every time a woman is given a position (of responsibility) in the Vatican, things improve,” he said.
LGBTQ+ community and the church
While many have been shunned from the church for being attracted to the same gender, Pope Francis advocated for same-sex couples to be allowed into the church without judgment.
“If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?” The Pope told journalists on a plane when returning from Brazil.
He also advocated that gay and lesbian couples be allowed to have their own families.
“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family,” Pope Francis said in a 2020 documentary that called for same-sex couples to be protected by civil union laws. “They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.”
Contributing: Reuters
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