Two translations follow of Francis' comments on fear and love.
from Rome Reports
"When love is perfect, there's no
fear. In love there’s no fear, because being afraid means expecting to
be punished. People who are afraid can't love perfectly and are not
free, either. They fear something painful or sad will occur and will
ruin their lives or endanger their salvation. They have all those fears,
only because they don't love. A person who can't love is not free.”
or
from news.va:
"A love that’s perfect banishes fear: in love there’s no fear, because fear is expecting a punishment and a person who's afraid doesn’t have a perfect love. He or she is not free. They are constantly afraid that something painful or sad will occur, that will cause their life to go badly or will endanger their eternal salvation... What an (over-active) imagination, because he or she can’t love. A person who isn't capable of loving is not free."
"A love that’s perfect banishes fear: in love there’s no fear, because fear is expecting a punishment and a person who's afraid doesn’t have a perfect love. He or she is not free. They are constantly afraid that something painful or sad will occur, that will cause their life to go badly or will endanger their eternal salvation... What an (over-active) imagination, because he or she can’t love. A person who isn't capable of loving is not free."
versus
"And how can there be talk of guarantees of conscience
when all faith in God and all fear of God have vanished? Take away this
basis, and with it all moral law falls, and there is no remedy left to
stop the gradual but inevitable destruction of peoples, families, the
State, civilization itself."
