The response of the people of the United States to Pope Francis’ visit seems to be overwhelmingly positive. A few days ago Washington Post, a rather secular magazine, uploaded and shared a video of Pope Francis blessing a boy with cerebral palsy. By now, the post has more than 71K shares. I think it’s safe to say that both Catholics and non-Catholics have truly enjoyed the presence of the Holy Father in their country.
To get a better idea of how non-Catholics responded to Pope Francis, we did a search of Twitter hashtags and Facebook comments. It seems that Pope Francis has prompted many to start their comment with “I’m not Catholic, but…” You can see an example in the picture below from an article that the Washington Post shared on Facebook.
We hope you will be inspired when you read this collection of 24 of the best comments we came across. While there are surely many more, we think that these will give you a good idea of what’s been occurring on social media and in the hearts of many people.
24 Quotes About Pope Francis From Non-Catholics
1. Love and Compassion
“I’m not catholic… But this Pope fills my heart with love and compassion. What an inspiring man.”
H. Norcross
“I’m an atheist, and I love pope Francis. He embodies compassion.”
-S. Rolan
2. Respect and Admiration
“I am not a religious person but I have so much respect and admiration for this pope. He is doing so much good in this world. You can tell he truly cares about people and has an amazing heart. If there is a God, this is exactly the kind of person who should represent him.”
M.Antonacci
“Being an Atheist myself, he is the only Pope I respect.”.
A.Valerio
“I am Wiccan and I totally love, admire, and respect this man!”
M.Tippeconnic
3. Hope in Humanity
“I might not be catholic but the pope restores my faith in humanity.” – @total_EXpert
“Pope Francis makes me believe in humanity.”
A. Imam (Muslim)
“I’m a Muslim and I really like Pope Francis … He is a good example of humanity.”
N. Al-khahn
4. Hope in Religion
“I am not Catholic, but Pope Francis is an inspiration and one of the few bright spots in modern religion.”
J.Tanner
“Yes, that’s what religion is supposed to be, a human message for everybody.”
M.Lineberry
I”‘m not Catholic but it’s a blessing to see so many receiving Communion as profession of their faith in Jesus Christ our Risen Savior & Lord.“
@carolinagirl63
5. Interest in the Catholic faith
“I’m not Catholic but think this Pope could draw more people to the Church.”
L. Schwenke
“As a former Catholic, now Agnostic, I believe if anyone can rebuild the Catholic faith, it is Pope Francis.”
S. Oakman
“Watched high mass in my living room. feel full of grace & I’m not Catholic. I love Pope Francis.”
@db771
“This is how I always wanted to see the Pope. I’m not Catholic, but now I could be.”
– N. Antonelli
6. Love of God
“What a great man! I’m not Catholic but I can not help but see this Pope a true man of God.” – S. Reis
“I may not be Catholic but one cannot help but be moved by the Pope’s devotion to God and his people.”
via @bhutch17
“There are many comments that begin with the phrase: ‘I’m not Catholic but I do not think I need to use it. I love God and this man -the Pope- is expressing the love of God. His words and actions resonate strongly in us. Let us show each other these same gestures of love through tenderness and compassion.”
D. Mott
7. Concern for all people
“I’m not religious but this man has really touched me. It will remain in history as the most humane and humble Pope. He should win the Nobel Peace Prize. If he can not promote peace in the world, nobody can.”
K. McLaughlin
“I grew up in Vietnam and I’ve been a Buddhist since childhood. Seeing Pope Francis visit the United States and the way in which people received my eyes fill with tears. In this terrible world, he is a light for many not only for Catholics.”
D. Huynh
“I am not a Catholic but everytime the #Pope interacts with children or disabled I cry tears of joy.”
– @kidflash112
8. Being Awesome
“The Pope is so awesome and I’m not even Catholic.”
@stones1120)
“I’m not catholic, or religious at all for that matter, but this Pope Francis guy is kinda rocking my world right now.”
@_sydenysauraus
We extend our thanks to Pope Francis Inspired @NotCatholicBut via Twitter for many of the tweets that we used in this post.
