Roman Catholic Bishops

"Grateful for the labors of foreign missionaries who brought the faith to our shores, we, as catechists and lay people must now continue their work of indigenization and proclaim the Gospel ourselves."

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a religious conflict, but a political one. It can only be solved politically. I see two tasks for the religious representatives. On the one hand, the religious authorities should contradict all those who try to turn this political conflict into a religious one. Secondly, it is their task to keep reminding people of fundamental values and norms that are common to all monotheistic religions and to motivate believers to do their utmost."

"For the Church in Aotearoa/New Zealand, if we are to be truly Catholic we need to be given the freedom to fully express our Catholicity in the language and the idiom that is ours. Christ also must be given the freedom: the freedom to be allowed to come alive in us, speaking to us, with us and among us, using our language; painting images using the idioms that are ours and that speak so profoundly to our hearts."

"We're all we're all a bit traumatized, people are easily triggered, people get mad at each other, blaming each other, condemning each other, canceling each other... and that's just the American bishops!"

"The Bishops of Oceania humbly request the universal Church to speak directly to victims of abuse, to take all necessary concrete steps to prevent abuse in the future and to become the leader of the local churches in this field."

"Massive uncontrolled corruption is suffocating the nation. It appears corruption is legalized. What should Ghanaians do since the existing form of democracy help only a few and leaves the majority behind? What about the impunity and arrogance of some politicians and their defence of corruption?"

"Local or indigenous religious Institutes should coordinate and cooperate more among themselves with Episcopal Conferences, and above all among the Institutes themselves. Sometimes you see them as if they are opposing elements."

"For them, I shall continue to pray that the light of Christ´s love will someday touch them so that we will become friends once more."

"Bishop Clark exercised his theological and pastoral gifts in many ways both to his own diocese, to the Catholic Bishops' Conference, and to the wider Christian family both nationally and internationally. Truly, he can be termed a good shepherd."

"Honesty and charity are sometimes difficult characteristics to hold together. Alan was an exemplar of both virtues. Alan never compromised on matters of theological truth, but we always knew that central to we are on a pilgrimage, with much to learn and discover."

"I'm now on the death track. There is a time when God lets us jump tracks. It seems strange we don't want to go to God but I think it needs a grace to see that."

"He was a quiet person, saying only as much as was needed. His thinking was clear and his talk not meaningless but substantive."

"He always proposed clear solutions."

"He was a leader who gave priority to dialogue and sincere love. His presence caused a great change in Balinese society and peace for Hindus."

"He started what was at his hand, a very, very small beginning and this is what we are expected to do in our life, starting from a small size of grace, praying to God that he develops it into something really blessed and big."

"Plurality is a certainty that no one can deny. God created this world with diversity. Denying plurality is the same as opposing God's will."

"Justice always assumes that an individual's rights are guaranteed. We cannot talk about justice without speaking about rights. Regarding peace, we must see it in correlation with justice. Peace is possible only if justice prevails. Peace can only be created with justice."

"Some people say this is a time of darkness for the Church and especially for bishops and priests. But as Archbishop Fulton Sheen once observed, if you want to get out of the darkness, walk into the light. When we pray, that is just what we do."

"Bishop Doctor Benyamin Bria, who was active in human and social activities, has built togetherness and tolerance regardless of religious, tribal and group differences. May we follow his example."

"When the nuncio asked if I would accept the appointment, I remember thinking in that moment that I had promised obedience as a priest, and this was just another part of that obedience. I remember thinking afterwards that my whole life had suddenly changed with that one phone call, but I felt a sense of peace about it, and trusted that God knew what he was doing."

"To be a missionary is a beautiful thing. There is no point in just comfortably living my faith, faith is more beautiful when it is shared with others."

"Jesus was incarnated in human condition to save us and died on the cross out of love; it is this love that we must take to others as well. Those who have received the faith are obliged by the same faith to share it with others, there is no Christianity without love and service."

"The resilience of the tribal people is very remarkable, and they have a lot of capacity to take suffering in stride. But they are thinking of the future, what it holds for them."

"I think that when I was growing up in as a child I was often given the impression that the church was divided into two classes the first class were the professionally holy they were the priests and sisters and the second class was everyone else's whose only job was to stay out of God's way."

"m not sure how to say "wow" in Hawaiian, but I know how to say mahalo. I am humbled and touched by the gesture of aloha. In a very real way, honoring me is actually honoring hundreds of people."

"Believe that God is with us, our Lady is with us, and pray for the conversion a conversion of those who started the war. As a missionary I learned in Africa one of the proverbs: "with one finger you you are not going to wash your face, you need the whole hand, you need two hands." It means that we have to be united, and we are united."

"We have dedicated a beautiful church to the Lord but let us remember that we must dedicate ourselves, body and soul, to the Lord."

"This Church was born a year after Vatican II which placed the accent on the universality of the People of God. She is inscribed in the Universial Mission of the Church; she is an integral part of the whole which she serves and benefits of its support. To her alone, she is the whole Church and, however, she can only survive through the other members which make fraternal love interdependent. Because of this, she counts especially upon the solidarity of the unique college of all the Bishops."

"We are few but you have prepared the new altar, the ambo, the tabernacle and also the new baptismal font to express our faith and our desire to always work according to the will of the Lord Jesus and his Sacred Heart."

"As a child, the person of Jesus Christ was really really present to me. I wasn't a particularly pious child but I knew that Jesus was real in my life, I knew that he was with me, and again my prayer as a kid wouldn't have been a pious type of prayer. It would have just been a conversation with a friend and sometimes as curt and straight forward as a conversation with a friend."

"We need to free ourselves from a practice of faith that is objectively individualistic, that does not take into consideration the fact that we are a community ("Communio") founded upon Baptism and the Eucharist. We have to free ourselves from a practice of faith that is objectively apolitical, that does not realize the Spirit of God will renew the face of the earth including the social, economic and political structures."

"We Christians actually cultivate good relations with Hindus, Muslims and other religious groups. We travel together, eat together and live together."

"At a time of great migrations that arouse suspicion and rejection, the Church wants to respond with the force of charity, to create the culture of encounter."

"The Canadian churches have been highly supportive of Canada's public, not-for-profit, universal system of health care. Churches have historically and continue to provide health care services. Many from our community provide pastoral care to patients, families and staff. We understand that healthy communities require healthy people, that is realized only when we fulfill our collective responsibility for each other."

"I now find myself before you, Church of Zagreb, unworthy and weak with many human questions that I can only answer with devotion to God in confidence and certainty that he sees the secrets of the heart. These days people have said to me in various ways that I should not fear the office which I feel surpasses me."

"The situation is complex and this complexity must be understood and respected. But too often in Italy I have heard speeches that excuse war. This also happens in the Catholic world, where instead I would like to see a tension, a passion for the gospel message of peace that I don't see all too often."

"Unemployment is the gateway for many families to poverty and social exclusion, but employment is not always the way out of social exclusion because the salary received is not sufficient to meet the minimum requirements of a dignified life."

"Live in hope. And in hope, we are guided to put ourselves on the path which leads us to the goal of following in the footsteps of the Lord and his mother Mary, who is our mother."

"One night, I prayed, "well, if it's a priest you wanted me to be, give me a sign." So much for you should not put the Lord your God to the test. The next day, when I got home, the phone was ringing. It was the young priest from the parish saying, "oh, I've been trying to get hold of you for days. I'll be coming around for coffee." I suppose it was my Damascus experience."

"A personal good that has come out of all this is that my faith is deeper because of it. I think the spiritual effort it took to overcome my initial anger has made me more peaceful. I think the faith that is mine has grown because of the goodness of so many people. I see Christ reflected in these people, and I am encouraged. None of us in this life are alone. The Lord sends many wonderful people into our lives through whom he works."

"The dignity of the human person demands that all men and women be treated, not as animals, nor as machines, but as persons and children of God."

"I speak of the Bishops' need to hear the voice of the priests, even if simple answers cannot be found. I refer to some of the problems priests experience. I wish that the essential place of the priests in the Church be emphasised in the Synod and that discussion of their difficulties be open."

"Each person has to be treated with Human Dignity, the celebrities who tested positive in India, received best treatment, our poor people do not deserve this indignity, it's an affront against the dignity of the human person."

"I thought I would be of help to mankind, and I told my family my intention to donate organs after my death. If someone can see through my eyes, or use my kidney to live longer, I think this would be a service to God. One can serve God and humanity even after death."

"It is sad to see that the Christian community, which offers service in the country in particular by dedicating itself to the poor and marginalized, has become the target of violence. In addition, the government's inaction encourages persecutors who go unpunished. The government must take effective measures to preserve the country's unity and democracy."

"Unfortunately, there is this migratory flow towards the West that causes Africa to lose its youth. The Church must reflect on this by asking the question: why do the youth leave? They leave because they are seeking a better life. We are not doing enough to retain our youth."

"The Church will give her contribution. We will work together with all people of good will to eradicate evil and create an atmosphere of peace. The Catholic Church in Bombay is ready to mobilize to help victims and will continue to pray for the suffering and may the Lord grant the gift of harmony and peace in Bombay"

"Christians have to become a community that shares, this is the only way we can solve our problems. We are facing problems due to our minority status. If we want to change the present situation, we have to change our attitudes. We have to share our resources and other means among the community. We are trying to make cooperative societies the center of our people, so they can gather and discuss problems and try to solve them."

"In Varanasi we have strong ties with people of all religions. Especially in times of crisis and serious need, we meet to serve the poor and the common good."

"We must live Christ's Love not only at home but in all our relations with everyone. Not all our young people are victims of alcohol and drugs. You are part of a thousand young people presently giving up part of their holiday time to share with others what they are and what they have."