Pope Francis — "It’s true that I’m a bit of a daredevil, but I’m a bit of a daredevil because I’…"
It’s true that I’m a bit of a daredevil, but I’m a bit of a daredevil because I’m old, and I don’t have much to lose.
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More from Pope Francis
"I would like to go to Moscow. And not only Moscow. To all of Russia. But you need two to tango."
"A life without love is a wasted life."
"We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor."
"It is not a good thing when priests become rigid. Rigidity is a sign of something bad. It is a sign of a lack of freedom, and that is a sign of spiritual worldliness."
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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
When you're old, you've already built your life, reputation, and legacy — and most of it is set. That means you have far less to protect or risk than younger people do. Aging can be liberating: bold choices that would threaten a career or social standing earlier in life carry lower stakes later. It's a frank admission that courage here comes not from bravery alone but from having less left to lose.
Relevance to Pope Francis
Pope Francis became pope at 76, already beyond typical career-building age. He took bold reformist stances — opening dialogue on LGBTQ+ inclusion, condemning economic inequality, challenging Vatican financial corruption, and washing women's feet in breach of tradition. Elected after Benedict XVI's historic resignation amid scandal, he consistently pushed boundaries that younger popes might have avoided to protect institutional standing. His age gave him genuine latitude to act on conviction rather than calculation.
The era
Francis's papacy began in 2013 against a backdrop of deepening crises — clergy sexual abuse scandals, Vatican Bank corruption, Benedict's unprecedented resignation, and collapsing church attendance in the West. Culture wars around LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and economic inequality dominated public life. Within this pressurized environment, institutional leaders typically retreated to caution. A pope openly claiming daredevil tendencies was striking — it signaled a deliberate break from the defensive, self-protecting posture that had defined the preceding era.
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