“To give Christ means to give love, to bear witness to the charity that is ready for everything.“
“And now I repeat them, thinking of the mission of this Church towards all the Churches and the entire world, of serving communion, unity, in charity and in truth. The Lord gave this task to Peter and his successors, and you all collaborate in different ways in this great task. Each one of you gives your contribution, carrying out your daily work with commitment and also with faith, because faith and prayer are like salt for food; they impart flavor.”
“Peter, therefore, is entrusted with the task of “loving more” and giving his life for the flock. Peter’s ministry is marked precisely by this oblative love, because the Church of Rome presides over in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a question of capturing others with oppression, with religious propaganda or by the means of power, but it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did.”
“Brothers, sisters, this is the hour of love! The charity of God that makes us brothers and sisters among us is the heart of the Gospel and, with my predecessor Leo XIII, today we can ask ourselves: if this criterion “prevalied in the world, would not all disagreement immediately cease and would not peace return?” (Lett. Enc. Rerum Novarum, 21).”
“For her part, the Church can never be exempted from speaking the truth about humanity and the world, resorting whenever necessary to blunt language that may initially create misunderstanding. Yet truth can never be separated from charity, which always has at its root a concern for the life and well-being of every man and woman.“
“I say this first of all for myself, as the Successor of Peter, as I begin this mission of mine as Bishop of the Church that is in Rome, called to preside in charity over the universal Church, according to the famous expression of Saint Ignatius of Antioch (cf. Letter to the Romans, Greeting).”
“Together, we must look for ways to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges and encourages dialogue, a Church ever open to welcoming, like this Square with its open arms, all those who are in need of our charity, our presence, our readiness to dialogue and our love.“
“We want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close above all to those who are suffering.“