"From the saints I must take the substance, not the accidents of their virtues. I am not St. Aloysius, nor must I seek…"

"One of my favorite phrases that brings me great comfort: We are not on earth as museum keepers, but to cultivate a fl…"

"[Pacem esse] dicimus in veritate positam, ad iustitiae praecepta constitutam, caritate altam et expletam, libertate p…"

"Visiting a hospital he asked a boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The boy said either a policeman or a pope. "…"

"When a cardinal complained that a rise in Vatican salaries meant a particular usher earned as much as the cardinal, t…"

"Not long after he was elected pope, John was walking in the streets of Rome. A woman passed him and said to her frien…"

"When he was cardinal and patriarch of Venice, the future pope was talking with a wealthy city resident and told him, …"

"[In Pope John XXIII] the novelty did not concern doctrine, but rather the way of expounding it and perhaps sometimes …"

"It is with great pleasure that I have learned of your election as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. I joi…"

"It is difficult to realize that three years have elapsed since Your Holiness announced that you planned to convene an…"