QUOTES BY POPE FRANCIS

Concerning a hands-on approach to the poor:

“Jesus did not preach his own politics: he accompanied others. The conversions he inspired took place precisely because of his willingness to accompany, which makes us all brothers and children and not members of an NGO or proselytes of some multinational company.”

Priests and the stink of sheep:

"A church that limits itself to just carrying out administrative duties, caring for its tiny flock, is a church that in the long run will get sick. The pastor who isolates himself is not a true pastor of sheep, but a 'hairdresser' for sheep who spends his time putting curlers on them instead of going to look for others.Today we have one in the pen and 99 we need to go looking for."

The need to mature in life like fine wine:

The future pope tells a story of being in an airport and seeing an older, very well-known, successful businessman waiting at baggage claim. He said it's common to see young people be impatient, but it came as a surprise to see an older gentleman get "infuriated because his bag was late."

"It made me sad to see a person who wasn't able to enjoy the wisdom of old age. Instead of improving (with age) like a fine wine, he had gone sour like a wine gone bad."

Knowing how to let children grow and go is like flying a kite:

"There'd come the moment when the kite would begin making a 'figure 8' and begin falling. In order to keep that from happening, you mustn't pull the string. The kids who knew more than us would scream, 'Give it some slack, it's wobbling!'"

"Flying a kite resembles the approach you need to take regarding a person's growth: sometimes you need to give them some slack because they are 'wavering.' In other words, it is necessary to give them time. We have to be able to set limits at the right moment, but other times we need to know how to look the other way and be like the father of the parable (the Prodigal Son) who lets his son move out and squander his fortune so that he learns from experience."