Roman Catholic Bishops

"We pray and we hope peace will be restored. It is necessary to build peace: we ourselves here in Kyrgyzstan must begin to build peace. Our political leaders must give priority to dialogue and peace, essential for the common good. For our part, we will pray and ask for the assistance of the Holy Spirit for a future of reconciliation and wellbeing in the country."

"Our people should know their Church, learn to love Her and to serve Christ and neighbor."

"In these times of uncertainty and disorientation, each and every one of the baptized, members of the Church, must carry out their role as missionary disciples ever more lovingly, zealously and joyfully."

"Secularism with its constant emphasis on the material and the temporal, pleasure and self-indulgence, on money and the things money can buy is aided and abetted by the media. World Youth Day gives all of us occasion to pause and give deeper thought to the great questions of life and death, the Gospel message as well as the teaching of the Church."

"It would be better to take below-market rents than to refuse to give a hand to those who can't make alternative arrangements."

"The Virgin is not indifferent to a child who allows himself to be corrupted. Listen to her sweet motherly voice; she wants you to be happy, capable of loving."

"Certainly, the historic influence of Calvinism also influenced the Catholic Church, fragmenting her, but with this pilgrimage to Rome, we are witnessing that the Catholic faith is united. I am hopeful about the future, especially after this week. We have all known one another personally, by name, during the pilgrimage. Many are young people who have deepened their faith."

"I doubt that better general relations with Orthodox Christians would improve the situation of Catholics in Greece."

"The Church in Africa needs the courage of creating social conditions which allow people to reach their God given fulfilment. Within the Catholic Social Teaching Tradition which defines the common good as the sum total of social conditions which allow people either as groups or as individuals to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily, to attain reconciliation, justice and peace, we need to create the right social conditions for individuals and societies."

"A good person, and a progressive leader who always championed collaboration with the government."

"I experienced minute by minute the dramatic crescendo of problems in the situation and the workload on doctors, nurses and all the staff. It is an absurd Lent, but in a certain sense perfect. Jesus is in the desert for forty days, fighting with the devil. Lent is not about the beauty of custom, but the profound mystery of the evil, death and despair that exist. But also of the Lord who is there. We must recognize His presence."

"Social welfare is not just a department, a field of activity. Those who work there should have the awareness that this is the Church itself."

"Once I became a priest, I understood that the relationship with others is fundamental. As I encountered social problems and became passionate about them, I saw that the way of the Carmel was not for me. This is why I became a diocesan priest."

"To be a missionary today I think first one must have a deep love for the people of that he's going to serve because it's a boat service it's about service of God's people and if we are faithful to the gospel Jesus always had a special love for for the little ones for the poor the old cast the elderly and I think missionary must try to always manifest that love for them."

"For the Japanese Church to fulfill its common responsibility to society, it is necessary for people, priests and bishops to be united. For that to happen it is vital that information gets through to every single Christian, it is one of the features of modern society that every kind of information finds its way into the living room."

"If the Church is to give a dynamic lead to such people, we must abandon thought patterns and methodology we used until now, and go to meet them where people are drawn to one another at a deeper level."

"The individual is forced into circumstances where he or she must discover his/her own way of life without any help at all. The communities in which modern man now lives are two, school and the workplace, and these, far from giving support and rest, are responsible for severe and ceaseless competition. Given such circumstances, isn't it possible to understand why people would want to escape from it all and make a trial of joining some community that would provide them with a model for living?"

"Those who want to be and remain Catholic will therefore naturally demand a nationwide offer of diverse help for pregnant women in conflict situations/"

"There needs to be, as St. Paul said to the Colossians, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness and above all, love. That kind of love never fails."

"As a representative of the Christian community here in Udaipur, I appeal for peace and harmony among all the communities. We stand for religious tolerance, dialogue and peaceful co-existence among all the communities. I pray that good sense may prevail among us all."

"I wish to commend CIJA on its timely and universally applauded effort to both maintain the spirit of Dr. Goldbloom and to encourage the essential work of dialogue between our various faith communities. I am deeply moved to have been considered as the inaugural recipient of this award. In accepting it, I do so only with the recognition that I am a small player in a large ensemble."

"I think people need spirituality, they are starving for it."

"Among those stones, which witnessed the incarnation of the Son of God, that intuition was born in Chiara from which infinite horizons would open, which hope to be enlarged and realized by all who have received her legacy."

"The first person to whom we are accountable is Christ, who is the good shepherd, and we're called to act in his place. That's a very serious responsibility to the Lord himself."

"Reason should be understood as the foundation of meaning, reflection on reality and the guiding criterio for the formation of the individual. Loving kindness as a virtue which makes it possible to have an interpersonal relationship and facilitates the growth of the young person. And religion, which, together with reason identifies, defines and engages human beings in the relationship with God."

"Though the people are poor in terms of development and financial security, they are very rich in their faith. Our people are longing for the Word of God and the Sacraments. If our people are not fed by the Word and the Sacraments and strengthened in their Catholic faith there is the danger that many more will leave the Church to join other denominations or cult groups."

"God created us free...My parents brought me to this country, to this land, to live in freedom. For many of us here, we have our own stories of pain and separation...Today I say thanks to God and thanks to this great country, the United States of America. In the year 1966, they opened the doors, and they took us in as refugees. As it is said in the Psalms, the Lord is my refuge, my rock, my strength."

"Draw everyone, young people especially to march towards Christ, towards the new heavens and the new earth of which the Bible speaks. This is a difficult march, but a march of joy and promise. We are guided and accompanied by Pope Benedict XVI who illuminates and orients the way with his special charisma as Bishop and teacher. We must listen to the Pope and accept the programme he indicates with joy and generosity."

"The opening of the canonical process for the beatification of the servants of God killed for the faith, is of utmost value and significance for Albania, because saints and martyrs are not only mediators between God and mankind, they are also models from which to draw inspiration in the work of giving a new face and a new future to this people who has suffered so much."

"Following the example of the master, the Church is engaged in fostering the dignity and the promotion of man in all of Her evangelization activities."

"We should be very faithful to pastoral philosophy and the divine evangelizing teaching of Jesus. Perhaps we should be more concerned, not only with the poor as the primary object of Evangelization, but also with poverty itself in Evangelization as a source of apostolic fertility. Considering our resources and time, it is important to give further attention to direct evangelization."

"The Holy Father pointed out on one occasion that Latin America was preparing to reevangelize Europe and to evangelize other regions of the world; and he saw this as the plan for the region for the Third Millennium. Latin America is now a mature Church, ready to give a Pope to the universal Church, if not during this conclave, then during the next."

"The formation of Area Catholic Communities is important to me because I think we have to work together if we're going to keep all of our parishes and if we're going to cover all of our parishes adequately and well. Having good personnel in a parish is important."

"Without a decent job to provide for the family's well-being, we're just putting band-aids on the problem. The culture of work needs to be renewed. The culture of work upon which our parents and grandparents build their families has been broken. And therefore, today we have young people who don't know what to do, who have no vision, who can neither study nor work."

"The retired experience is characterised mainly by rest since one is after all in retirement. Without the concerns of the office, I initially found life in retirement disconcerting. For 35 years I was the head of the diocese and then the archdiocese."

"In an Africa full of hate and war and at the same time thirsty for love, I believe that it is very important for the Church to be involved in works of charity: works of charity not for proselytism, but to witness the fact that we must love each other as Christ loved us. In the dioceses there are many initiatives, but I think we must also revive the charisma of the works of mercy. In the tradition of the Church, the works of charity are an eloquent testimonial of love, even for the non-believers."

"Our Latvian people did what the first century Christians did: they learnt the passages of the Holy Scriptures by heart. Still today in Latvia there is an oral tradition alive. We stand on the shoulders of our martyrs to proclaim the Word of God. Our grandchildren remember their grandfathers and grandmothers, who died for their faith and they like to be, in their turn, the "HEROS" of faith. In Latvia we proclaim the living Word of God!"

"Evangelisation must take into account the needs of those who are being evangelised. Hence, there is the need to educate people to be self-supporting."

"A sinful world creates many false kingdoms around its own selfishness. Sin, no less than despotic reigns in the past, has the subtle power to subject us to its own reign and influence. On this day we proclaim that Christ is the only King with the power to change and claim our lives."

"I don't do church talk well. By that I mean, sometimes when you interview people in authority, they sound like stained glass windows. I come from a very simple background, a family of steelworkers. So, you learn to develop this ability to just say what you mean and not have any talking in circles or say a lot of words and not say anything. And this way there can be no ambiguity when I speak."

"The Gospel is always answer and light for everyday human problems, and one of them consists precisely in the excessive disparity between poor and rich who come across each other in very concrete situations in life and society. We Christians cannot be neutral spectators of the needs and of the poverty of others."

"A diplomat's duty is to report to the nation or the state that sends you out, and not to journalists."

"I tried to do my duty and, thanks be to God, I never found myself in danger. Ah, yes, I did it with pleasure, because it was a right thing, and if I had to start over I'd do the same."

"We're proud to say that even if a only a minority of Catholic youths may be practicing, there's a very strong nucleus of very, very committed Catholic young people."

"As a Catholic church, we are universal church. So we are not founded on national churches, even though there are various traditions in individual countries, but we are one church also in Europe. So that's our point of departure and regarding the basic topics like doctrine and ethics, we have one common vision, or we should have one common vision as a Catholic church. So that's why we use the contacts with the European institutions: to enhance those interest."

"It is clear that priests have an essential role in the Church, and in some cases, they have the final say, but that doesn't mean you can't include lay people in decision-making. Priestly ministry and priestly authority is meant for service."

"The Church in Cameroon is alive, with a notable religious fervor."

"In Paraguay, the social and political scenery remains delicate. It is necessary to work to ensure respect for the common good and the defense of ethics. Pastors are committed to accompanying the Paraguayan people and promoting dialogue for the common good."

"The faithful should take spiritual care of the priests (not only the priests of the faithful); the priest should give his all in trying to be a good priest, with the help of the Lord and everyone; the priest should also be a good pastor."

"I did feel that the silent language of God was turned up in volume. I listened. The depth of God visited my depth of being. The invitation to the priesthood was whispered deep within. This vocation was co-discerned over the many years I was a student in the seminary. This happened in so many ways. I encountered Jesus in a special way in those years. The flame still burns strongly. Only Jesus. Jesus will be all I have when I die. Jesus is my enough."