Pope Francis on the Spiritual Life
The spiritual stature of a person’s life is measured by love, which in the end remains “the criterion for the definitive decision about a human life’s worth or lack thereof” (Pope Benedict, Deus Caritas Est, 2005) . Yet some unbelievers think that it consists in the imposition of their own ideologies upon everyone else, or in a violent defense of the truth, or in impressive demonstration of strength. All of us, as believers, need to recognize that love takes first place: Love must never be put at risk, and the greatest danger lies in family to love (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-13).
Pope Francis wrote these words in his encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), October 2020.