Well, how did you find the pope’s visit to the United States?

Were you able to follow it closely or was it just background noise as your life whirred by?

I was able to catch some of it but even nuns’ lives don’t come to a standstill when the pope comes to the country, unfortunately.

So I decided to take some time to look through all of Pope Francis’ speeches over the past week and find what I consider to be the best quotes.

It was a fun exercise and a good close to my time being in closer proximity to Pope Francis than I usually am, although I unfortunately was not able to see him in person.

So here they are, the best quotes from all the speeches Pope Francis gave during his recent trip to the United States.

Do you have some you think are great too?

Add them in the comments.

1. Religious Freedom – A Precious Possession:

American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination. With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty. That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions.” Address at the White House

2. The Scandal of Petty Love:

Would that we could all be prophets! Would that all of us could be open to miracles of love for the sake of all the families of the world, and thus overcome the scandal of a narrow, petty love, closed in on itself, impatient of others! Homily at World Meeting of Families

3. The Danger of Imbalanced Christianity:

A Christianity which “does” little in practice, while incessantly “explaining” its teachings, is dangerously unbalanced. I would even say that it is stuck in a vicious circle. A pastor must show that the “Gospel of the family” is truly “good news” in a world where self-concern seems to reign supreme! Meeting with Bishops at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia

4. Wounded Prison Systems, Wounded People:

It is painful when we see prison systems which are not concerned to care for wounds, to soothe pain, to offer new possibilities. It is painful when we see people who think that only others need to be cleansed, purified, and do not recognize that their weariness, pain and wounds are also the weariness, pain and wounds of society. Remarks to Detainees of Correctional Facility in Philadelphia

5. The Environment is a Fundamental Good:

We Christians, together with the other monotheistic religions, believe that the universe is the fruit of a loving decision by the Creator, who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the Creator; he is not authorized to abuse it, much less to destroy it. In all religions, the environment is a fundamental good. Address to the United Nations

6. United in the Care of the Poor, Defenseless:

I take this opportunity to thank all those, of whatever religion, who have sought to serve the God of peace by building cities of brotherly love, by caring for our neighbors in need, by defending the dignity of God’s gift of life in all its stages, by defending the cause of the poor and the immigrant. All too often, those most in need of our help are unable to be heard. You are their voice, and many of you have faithfully made their cry heard. Speech at Independence Mall, Philadelphia

7. Jesus Knocks On Our Doors:

Jesus keeps knocking on our doors, the doors of our lives. He doesn’t do this by magic, with special effects, with flashing lights and fireworks. Jesus keeps knocking on our door in the faces of our brothers and sisters, in the faces of our neighbors, in the faces of those at our side. Speech at Charitable Center of St. Patrick Parish, Washington, D.C.

8. Avoid Polarization, Division:

The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. Address to the United States Congress

9. “_________” Pope Francis didn’t say anything public when he went on an impromptu visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor, but he still said a lot with his silent witness of solidarity, so I included that visit in my top ten.

10. All That is Good, True, and Beautiful:

All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful brings us to God. Because God is good, God is beautiful, God is the truth. Address to World Meeting of Families (Watch video of this speech, the best one Pope Francis gave, in my humble and true opinion)

And a bonus from the press conference on the flight that departed from Philadelphia and landed in Rome:

A journalist: Holy Father, you have become a star in the United States. Is it good for the Church if the Pope is a star? Pope Francis: The Pope must… Do you know what the title was of the Pope that ought to be used? Servant of the servants of God. It’s a little different from the stars. Stars are beautiful to look at. I like to look at them in the summer when the sky is clear. But the Pope must be, must be the servant of the servants of God. Yes, in the media this is happening but there’s another truth. How many stars have we seen that go out and fall. It is a fleeting thing. On the other hand, being servant of the servants of God is something that doesn’t pass.

What was your favorite moment of Pope Francis’ trip?

Share in the comments!