'Who am I to judge?' Pope Francis had an informal, lighthearted speaking style

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis, who died connected Monday, had an informal, lighthearted speaking style, and sometimes helium adjacent created words successful a operation of his autochthonal Spanish with the Italian that helium spoke arsenic pope.

Some of his memorable quotes:

A simple, archetypal greeting

“Brothers and sisters, bully evening!” -- Francis’ first words delivered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica aft his predetermination arsenic pontiff connected March 13, 2013.

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A plea to retrieve the poor

“When the votes reached two-thirds, determination was the accustomed applause, due to the fact that the pope had been elected. And helium gave maine a hug and a buss and said: ‘Don’t hide the poor!’ And those words came to me: the poor, the poor. Then, close away, reasoning of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. Then I thought of each the wars, arsenic the votes were inactive being counted, till the end. Francis is besides the antheral of peace. That is however the sanction came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. … How I would similar a Church which is mediocre and for the poor!” — Francis, speaking to journalists connected March 16, 2013, recounting however Cardinal Claudio Hummes gave him the thought of choosing the sanction Francis.

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A plea for mercy

“In these days, I’ve been capable to work a publication by a cardinal — Cardinal Kasper, a bully theologian — astir mercy. And this publication has done maine a batch of good, though don’t deliberation I’m conscionable doing publicity for my cardinals’ books! It’s not similar that. But it’s done maine truthful overmuch good. Cardinal Kasper said that feeling ‘mercy,’ this connection changes everything. It’s the champion happening we tin feel: It changes the world. A spot of mercy makes the satellite little acold and much just.” — Francis' First Angelus supplication from his workplace window, March 17, 2013. ___

A greeting for Benedict

“We are brothers.” — Francis, upon gathering Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI for the archetypal clip aft the election, astatine the papal summertime residence successful Castel Gandolfo, March 23, 2013. ___

A welcoming phrase

“Who americium I to judge?” — Francis, responding to a question astir a purportedly cheery priest, successful a remark that acceptable the code for a papacy much welcoming to LGBTQ+ Catholics, July 28, 2013. ___

A greeting for the patriarch

“We are brothers.” — Francis, to Patriarch Kirill during the first-ever papal gathering with the person of the Russian Orthodox Church, successful the Havana airport, Feb. 13, 2016. ___

A connection connected the sacraments

“In definite cases, this tin see the assistance of the sacraments. Hence, ‘I privation to punctual priests that the confessional indispensable not beryllium a torture chamber, but alternatively an brushwood with the Lord’s mercy.’ I would besides constituent retired that the Eucharist ‘is not a prize for the perfect, but a almighty medicine and nourishment for the weak.'” — Footnote 351 successful encyclical “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), referencing Francis’ writings astir entree to the Eucharist, April 8, 2016. ___

An outreach to Islam

"The gathering is the message.” — Francis, upon meeting Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the expansive imam of Al-Azhar, the prestigious Sunni Muslim halfway of learning, aft a agelong frost successful relations, May 23, 2016.

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On criticism

“It’s an grant if the Americans onslaught me.” — Francis’ quip to French journalist-author Nicholas Seneze, referring to U.S. blimpish criticism, aboard the papal level astir Seneze’s publication “How America Wants to Change the Pope,” Sept. 4, 2019.

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On the pandemic

“We person realized that we are connected the aforesaid boat, each of america fragile and disoriented, but astatine the aforesaid time, important and needed, each of america called to enactment together, each of america successful request of comforting the other.” — Francis, praying for an extremity to the coronavirus pandemic successful St. Peter’s Square, March 27, 2020.

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On Indigenous people

“I americium sorry. I inquire forgiveness, successful particular, for the ways successful which galore members of the religion and of spiritual communities cooperated, not slightest done their indifference, successful projects of taste demolition and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated successful the strategy of residential schools.” — Francis, apologizing for abuses of Indigenous peoples successful Canada’s residential schools, astatine the tract of a erstwhile schoolhouse successful Maskwacis, Alberta, July 25, 2022.

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On Argentina

“I don’t cognize if you’re acquainted with this theological-cultural history, that the guardian angels of immoderate countries got huffy with God and told him: ‘Father, you were unfair to america … you gave each of our countries a wealth: cattle, agriculture, mining. And to the Argentines you gave them everything. Everything! They person each the wealth.’ And it is said that God thought a little. ‘But to equilibrium it out, I gave Argentina Argentines.’" — Francis, successful an interrogation with The Associated Press, Jan. 24, 2023.

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On homosexuality

“Being homosexual is not a crime.”— Francis, successful an interview with The Associated Press, referring to countries that criminalize homosexuality, Jan. 24, 2023.

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