---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Pope is not putting himself out on a…"
description: "\"The Pope is not putting himself out on a limb, he's putting himself up on the Cross, and that's what he's called to do.\" — Theodore Edgar McCarrick"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/777/theodore-edgar-mccarrick-65775_cross_the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a_1168725.png"
---

#  The Pope is not putting himself out on a limb, he's…

![“The Pope is not putting himself out on a limb, he's putting himself up on the Cross, and that's what he's called to do.” quote by Theodore Edgar McCarrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/777/theodore-edgar-mccarrick-65775_cross_the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a_1168725.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/777/theodore-edgar-mccarrick-65775_cross_the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a_1168725.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/777/theodore-edgar-mccarrick-65775_cross_the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a_1168725.png)

> “The Pope is not putting himself out on a limb, he's putting himself up on the Cross, and that's what he's called to do.”

[Theodore Edgar McCarrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Pope’s sacrifice is profound, symbolically bearing the Cross as a duty, not a risk.

**In simple terms:** The Pope’s sacrifice is a duty, not a risk.

Key Takeaway

Respect the weight of spiritual leadership.

Themes

religion leadership symbolism

Mood

reverent solemn

Type

theological motivational

When to use this quote

- public worship
- ethical leadership
- community support

Key Concepts

sacrifice service

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “putting oneself on the Cross” truly entail?
- How does this shape expectations of leaders?

A Different Perspective

May be interpreted as glorifying suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross/) [Cross Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross-called-3377953/) [Crosses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crosses/) [Limbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limbs/) [Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pope/) [Pope Putting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pope-putting-3377952/) [Putting Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putting-cross-3377954/)

## Related quotes

> [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/may-nothing-entice-me-till-i-happily-make-my-way-to-jesus-christ-fire/)

[Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/)

> [You're unwilling to go out on a limb because it just might break underneath you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-re-unwilling-to-go-out-on-a-limb-because-it-just-might-break/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Have you been called to go out on a limb for God? You can bet it won't be easy. Limb-climbing has never been easy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/have-you-been-called-to-go-out-on-a-limb-for-god-you-can-bet-it-won-t/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the monkey mind. The thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-am-burdened-with-what-the-buddhists-call-the-monkey-mind-the/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [To live without having a Cicero and a Tacitus at hand seems to me as if it was aprivation of one of my limbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/to-live-without-having-a-cicero-and-a-tacitus-at-hand-seems-to-me-as/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing - just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/when-was-the-last-time-you-spent-a-quiet-moment-just-doing-nothing/)

[Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/)

> [Life are only as long as beautiful Until your limbs are intact,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/life-are-only-as-long-as-beautiful-until-your-limbs-are-intact/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/)

[David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/)

> [I was acquainted once with a gallant soldier who assured me that his only measure of courage was this: upon the first fire, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-was-acquainted-once-with-a-gallant-soldier-who-assured-me-that-his/)

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

> [All my life I have gone out on a limb, but I have turned the limb into a bridge, and there is cool, clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/all-my-life-i-have-gone-out-on-a-limb-but-i-have-turned-the-limb-into/)

[Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/)

> [There are believers who by God's grace, have climbed the mountains of full assurance and near communion, their place is with the eagle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-are-believers-who-by-god-s-grace-have-climbed-the-mountains-of/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Put yourself out on a limb, sucka, like me!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/put-yourself-out-on-a-limb-sucka-like-me/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

## More by Theodore Edgar McCarrick

> [We must walk in solidarity with those who are living with HIV/AIDS and with those at risk. As witnesses of Christ, we are called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/we-must-walk-in-solidarity-with-those-who-are-living-with-hiv-aids/)

[Theodore Edgar McCarrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/)

> [If it were not for the Eucharist, if it were not for this marvelous manifestation of God's love, if it were not for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/if-it-were-not-for-the-eucharist-if-it-were-not-for-this-marvelous/)

[Theodore Edgar McCarrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/)

> [I realize political credibility is important in this world,but it's more important to be faithful to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/i-realize-political-credibility-is-important-in-this-world-but-it-s/)

[Theodore Edgar McCarrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/)

[Explore all 4 Theodore Edgar McCarrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/)

## More Cross quotes

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [I do enjoy intense, bloodthirsty action, but I like to blend and cross genres. I don't want to be too predictable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-marshall/i-do-enjoy-intense-bloodthirsty-action-but-i-like-to-blend-and-cross/)

[Neil Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-marshall/)

> [In the Christianity of Christendom the Cross has become something like the child’s hobby-horse and trumpet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-christianity-of-christendom-the-cross-has-become-something/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I know it's a film and all of that, and it's a Hollywood film, but it kind of feels like this sometimes, when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/i-know-it-s-a-film-and-all-of-that-and-it-s-a-hollywood-film-but-it/)

[Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/)

> [“You can always count on the promise of forever that He made when He died on that cross and rose again three days later.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naya-s/you-can-always-count-on-the-promise-of-forever-that-he-made-when-he/)

[Naya S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naya-s/)

> [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [“To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/to-endure-the-cross-is-not-a-tragedy-it-is-the-suffering-which-is-the/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I am interested in bringing Africa to the foot of the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhard-bonnke/i-am-interested-in-bringing-africa-to-the-foot-of-the-cross/)

[Reinhard Bonnke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhard-bonnke/)

> [There is a very thin line dividing characterisation from impersonation. I've to make sure I don't cross over into mimicry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushant-singh-rajput/there-is-a-very-thin-line-dividing-characterisation-from/)

[Sushant Singh Rajput](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushant-singh-rajput/)

> [The Son of God goes forth to war,A kingly crown to gain;His blood red banner streams afar:Who follows in His train?Who best can drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-heber/the-son-of-god-goes-forth-to-war-a-kingly-crown-to-gain-his-blood-red/)

[Reginald Heber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-heber/)

> [Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater-the love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/sin-is-the-second-most-powerful-force-in-the-universe-for-it-sent/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [“God has chosen to save the world through the cross, through the shameful and powerless death of the crucified Messiah. If that shocking event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hays/god-has-chosen-to-save-the-world-through-the-cross-through-the/)

[Richard Hays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hays/)

> [God makes me play well. That is why I always make the sign of a cross when I walk out on to the pitch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-maradona/god-makes-me-play-well-that-is-why-i-always-make-the-sign-of-a-cross/)

[Diego Maradona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-maradona/)

> [Do you love the cross because it makes much of you? Or do you love it because it enables you to enjoy and eternity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/do-you-love-the-cross-because-it-makes-much-of-you-or-do-you-love-it/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [“The point of trying to understand the cross better is not so that we can congratulate ourselves for having solved an intellectual crossword puzzle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-point-of-trying-to-understand-the-cross-better-is-not-so-that-we/)

[N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/)

[Browse all 986 Cross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Pope is not putting himself out on a limb, he's putting himself up on the Cross, and that's what he's called to do.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Theodore Edgar McCarrick"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a-limb-he-s-putting-himself-up/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cross"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a-limb-he-s-putting-himself-up/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/777/theodore-edgar-mccarrick-65775_cross_the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a_1168725.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/777/theodore-edgar-mccarrick-65775_cross_the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a_1168725.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/777/theodore-edgar-mccarrick-65775_cross_the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a_1168725.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Pope is not putting himself out on a limb, he's putting himself up on the Cross, and that's what he's…” — Theodore Edgar McCarrick",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Theodore Edgar McCarrick",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Pope is not putting himself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a-limb-he-s-putting-himself-up/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/the-pope-is-not-putting-himself-out-on-a-limb-he-s-putting-himself-up/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
