Pope Francis' Speeches & Homilies During His Visit to the US:
The Complete List of Full Texts

Pope Francis - Giving Speech to Festival of Families
Excerpts Below:

...But the most beautiful thing that God made, the Bible says, was the family. He created man and woman, and He gave them everything. He gave them the world! Grow, multiply, cultivate the earth, make it produce, make it grow. He presented to a family all of the love that He made in this marvelous creation.

...Let’s go back a bit. All of the love that God has in Himself, all of the beauty that God has in Himself, all of the truth that God has in Himself, He gives to the family. And a family is truly a family when it is able to open its arms and receive all of this love.

But let’s go back. When the man and his wife made the mistake and distanced themselves from God, God did not leave them alone. There was so much love, so much love that He began to walk with humanity. He began to walk with His people, until the fullness of time arrived, and He gave the greatest sign of His love, His Son.

And His Son, where did He send Him? To a palace? To a city, to start a business? He sent Him to a family! God came into the world in a family.
And he was able to do this because this family was a family that had its heart open to love, that had the doors open to love.

God always knocks at the door of hearts. He likes to do this. It comes from His heart. But, do you know what He likes best? To knock on the doors of families and find families that are united, to find families that love each other, to find the families that bring up their children and educate them and help them to keep going forward and that create a society of goodness, of truth, and of beauty.

.” In families, there are difficulties, but these difficulties are overcome with love. Hate doesn’t overcome any difficulty. Division of hearts doesn’t overcome any difficulty. Only love is capable of overcoming difficulties. Love is a festival. Love is joy. Love is to keep moving forward.

And I don’t want to continue talking, because this will get too long. But I would like to stress two points regarding the family which I would like you to pay special attention to. Not only would I like you to do this, but we must pay special attention to this: the children and the grandparents. Children and young people are the future, they are the strength, those who take us forward. They are the ones in which we place our hope. Grandparents are the memory of a family, they are the ones who gave us the faith, transmitted to us the faith.


And well, the family is beautiful, but it is costly. It brings problems. In the family, sometimes there is enmity. The husband fights with the wife or they give each other dirty looks, or the children with the parents … I advise one thing: Never end the day without making peace in the family. In a family, a day cannot end at war.
May God bless you.

May God give you strength. May God strengthen you to keep moving forward. Let us care for the family. Let us defend the family, because there, there, our future is in play. Thank you, may God bless you and pray for me, please.
 

Wednesday, September 23rd (Washington, D.C.)

Speech at the Welcoming Ceremony at the White House

Speech to the Bishops of the United States at St. Matthew's Cathedral

Homily at the Mass of Canonization of St. Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception




Thursday, September 24th (Washington, D.C. & New York)

Address to the Joint Meeting of the United States Congress

Speech at the Charitable Center of St. Patrick in the City & Lunch with the Homeless at Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C.

Evening Prayer (Vespers) at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City




Friday, September 25th (New York City)

Address to the United Nations General Assembly

Speech given to United Nations Employees

Address given to the multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center

Pope Francis' Prayer of Remembrance (at Ground Zero, New York)

Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem

Homily at the Mass at Madison Square Garden




Saturday, September 26th (New York City, Philadelphia)

Homily at the Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia

Speech for Meeting on Religious Liberty to Immigrants at Independence Mall, Philadelphia

Prepared Speech to the Festival of Families (speech not given, replaced by the one below):

Extemporaneous Speech given to Festival of Families




Sunday, September 27th (Philadelphia)

Address by the Holy Father at the Meeting of Victims of Sexual Abuse at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Speech given to bishops at St. Martin's Chapel at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Speech given to prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility

Homily for the Mass concluding the World Meeting of Families

Speech given to organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families

Press Conference with reporters on the flight back to Rome




For additional information, including Pope Francis' trip to Cuba, videos of the events, and information in seven languages other than English, see the Vatican News Service page dedicated to the journey.