Papal Visit Quotes

The holy father John Paul II made a profound impact wherever he went. And, of course, his trip to Boston was one of the earliest ones. But I must say every time that I met the holy father and mentioned Boston, he would immediately say, rain. So, it made quite an impact on him, too.

[Pope Francis ] is taken a selfie!He's a tremendous breath of fresh air.

The Pope also said that while he's in town he would like to go see 'The Book of Mormon.'

Pope John Paul II spoke with a lot of clarity and consistency. But he always spoke with immense compassion. He's the one who said the best way to love somebody is to tell them the truth. So, he did that well.

Pope John Paul II was fascinated by the United States. And I think he was initially surprised at the vigor of the Catholic Church in the United States. Maybe some of the press that we had gotten he found wasn't true. No, I think he suspected the church in the United States. Did he challenge us to some things? Sure, he did. But, no, I always - I think there was a good alliance. There was a good gel there.

Today, for the first time in history, a Bishop of Rome sets foot on English soil. This fair land, once a distant outpost of the pagan world, has become, through the preaching of the Gospel, a beloved and gifted portion of Christ's vineyard.

I admire the Pope. I have a lot of respect for anyone who can tour without an album.

[Pope Francis] is a humble man. He lives the faith out in his own personal life. ... He's here to be a shepherd; he isn't here to be a scold. I think that's a good thing for the church and for the world, frankly.

For us Catholics, John Paul II will be remembered as a traveling Pope ... and we should also remember he preached world peace. When the United States invaded Iraq, for example, John Paul II said it was an illegal and immoral act.

I would like to see the Pope wearing my T-shirt.

Pope Francis announced that next year he is coming to the United States, or as Fox News is reporting it, 'Obama lets in yet another guy from South America.'

The one and only time I met Pope Benedict XVI was when he was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.

Having been elected President, one of my first acts was to send the Pope a cable: “Unpack!”

When greeting Pope Benedict a few years ago, I was meant to kiss the papal ring but I head-butted his hand instead. He just laughed at me.

If I go to Italy, I will certainly request to meet with Pope Francis, whom I admire very much.

I'm so, so thrilled that [Pope Francis] is there at this crucial moment in the history of our world.

My visit this autumn is an opportunity to continue that rich tradition of visits between Canterbury and Rome.

Pope Francis is going to go to Washington, D.C., to address Congress. He believes the New England Patriots have been deflating his giant hat.

Whereas the Vatican is not only a religious center but also a state, and whereas relations with it have also a political nature, as is evident from the visit of the Pope to the United Nations, one must reckon with the possibility of an influence in some sense of the godless authorities in the matter of the Church of Rome. History testifies to the fact that negotiations with the heterodox under pressure of political factors never brought the Church anything but confusion and schisms.

We had a picture of the pope and President [J.F.] Kennedy on top of the television.

I had the good fortune of living in Rome for seven years, from 1994 to 2001. So, I kind of saw firsthand the impact that Pope John Paul II had on people.

As Pope Francis visits the United States for the very first time, it is our privilege as Catholics and Americans to welcome His Holiness to our country. Here, he will find people who are uniquely free.

It was an honor and a thrill to have the chance to meet His Holiness, Pope Benedict, and then to have lunch with Prime Minister Berlusconi.... I think Italy and the U. S. have a very strong friendship and relationship, and I'm proud of that.

I think Pope Francis is a guy who comes from a certain place in the world, and that shapes how he processes things. He's like a liberation theology guy, but I think that what he's done is focused the Catholic Church where it should be - on the poor.

We are monitoring very closely threats against the pope as he comes in to the United States.