Pope Francis’ Understanding and Love for Jesus Christ

Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, has often spoken with deep emotion, clarity, and humility about his relationship with Jesus Christ. His papacy has been marked by a consistent and powerful message: that Jesus is the face of God’s mercy, and the source of hope, healing, and salvation for all.

Jesus: The Face of God’s Mercy

One of Pope Francis’ central theological points is that Jesus is the face of the Father’s mercy. In his papal bull Misericordiae Vultus (“The Face of Mercy”), which opened the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015, Francis wrote:

“Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith.”

To Pope Francis, Jesus is not just a historical figure or distant Savior, but the very embodiment of God’s loving presence in the world. He emphasizes that through Christ, God draws near to humanity — especially to the poor, the sick, the sinner, and the forgotten.

A Personal Relationship with Christ

For Francis, faith is deeply personal. He often encourages Christians to build a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus, calling Him a friend, teacher, and redeemer. In Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), he states:

“I never tire of repeating those words of Benedict XVI: ‘Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.’”

This “encounter” with Jesus, Pope Francis insists, is what transforms hearts and lives. It is the starting point for evangelization and authentic Christian living.