“Simple Wisdom”: U.S. Bishops Publish Compilations of Pope Francis’s Messages

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has just released two slim books of homespun messages from Pope Francis:  on Hope and on Evangelization.  The first is only 66 pages in length; the second, 73 pages.  The English-language edition is published in conjunction with the Vatican publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

The “Simple Wisdom of Pope Francis” Series includes papal remarks that have garnered worldwide media attention.  Some of the quotes which may be familiar to you are:

“Let us remember that whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor, from the hungry!”

“To pray for those with whom we are angry is a beautiful step toward that law of love.”

“Never gossip about others, never! So much damage to the Church comes from division among Christians, from biases, from narrow interests.”

“Behave like Jesus. Always answer with love and with the power of truth.”

The two-book set can be purchased from the USCCB for $11.95 plus shipping, in individual and bulk copies.  For more information or to order, visit www.SimpleWisdomSeries.com.

In a statement released on November 20, the USCCB Communications Department noted that Pope Francis’s popularity is evident in the huge attendance at his appearances in St. Peter’s Square, as well as the high level of interest from mainstream media and in his visibility on social media sites.  Pope Francis’s Twitter account (@Pontifex) now has more than 10 million followers.

According to the USCCB statement, the Austin, Texas-based Global Language Monitor recently reported from their annual survey of top terms used during 2013 that “Pope Francis” was the #1 proper name most talked about on the web.