Pope Francis — "I like to talk to people, to go out into the street. I like to be a street pries…"
I like to talk to people, to go out into the street. I like to be a street priest.
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More from Pope Francis
"The powerful of the earth, when they do not want to see problems, they cover them up. They hide them."
"The Lord is a good cook. He always prepares good food for us."
"Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Do not be afraid of making noise. Do not be afraid of getting into trouble."
"The greatest poverty is loneliness."
"The world needs poets."
About Pope Francis (born 1936)
First Latin American and Jesuit pope (2013-), who has steered the Catholic Church toward pastoral inclusion on LGBTQ pastoral care, divorced Catholics, and climate. Closely associated with Pope John XXIII (the Vatican II reformer pope) and Cardinal Walter Kasper (his theological ally on pastoral reform). For an intellectual contrast, see Cardinal Raymond Burke, American traditionalist cardinal, former head of the Vatican Apostolic Signatura — Burke is the public face of Catholic traditionalism that views Francis's pastoral approach as doctrinally dangerous — he has formally challenged Amoris Laetitia and other Francis reforms.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
This quote expresses a preference for direct, unmediated human connection over institutional distance. Rather than remaining cloistered in hierarchy and formality, the speaker values stepping into everyday life, meeting ordinary people where they live, and embodying a humble, accessible form of spiritual leadership that prioritizes presence over prestige.
Relevance to Pope Francis
Jorge Bergoglio was known throughout his Buenos Aires years for riding public buses, cooking his own meals, and visiting slums called villas miserias. As Archbishop he deliberately rejected the episcopal palace. This streetwise pastoral instinct defined him before the papacy and directly shaped his choice of the name Francis, after the saint of poverty and simplicity.
The era
Francis became Pope in 2013 amid declining church attendance in the West, clergy abuse scandals, and the unprecedented resignation of Benedict XVI. A Cold Church feeling had alienated millions. His insistence on a physically present, street-level priesthood addressed widespread hunger for authentic, human-scale spiritual leadership during a crisis of institutional religious authority.
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