I Am a Mission on This Earth: Selected Writings

“My mission of being in the heart of the people is not just a part of my life or a badge I can take off. . . . Instead, it is something I cannot uproot from my being without destroying my very self. I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world.”—Pope Francis

 

From his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in 2013 until his death in 2025, Pope Francis, through words and gestures, fulfilled the promise and challenge suggested by his namesake, Francis of Assisi: “the man of poverty, peace, who lives and takes care of creation, a man who gives out a sense of peace, a poor man.” Calling the church to step out of its “self-referentiality,” Francis envisioned an evangelizing “community of missionary disciples” that goes out to the “margins and peripheries,” bearing witness to God’s endless love and mercy.

This powerful little book, drawn from the many words and writings of Pope Francis that Orbis Books has published, offers an overview of many of his essential thoughts on mission and evangelization, migrants and refugees, care for creation, war and peace, compassion and mercy, his love and encouragement for young people, and his dream of a “synodal church,” a People of God walking together in faith and hope.

Robert Ellsberg is publisher and editor-in-chief of Orbis Books.