Roman Catholic Bishops

"We owe no one any apology for being Christians and Indians. This is our birthright and is enshrined in our Constitution. At the same time we must avoid demonizing those who attack us. They are also human beings like us even if their ideology sometimes blinds them and blunts their consciences. There is no substitute to dialogue in all its dimensions."

"I will keep in mind not to forget my roots, to continue walking with the poor, humble and immigrants. I am at the service of the entire archdiocese, not just Hispanics, (and) willing to work with other ethnic communities."

"Everyone – saint or sinner – can come to God. Never reject that great gift that comes to us from the generosity of God. And remember: It's never too late to say "yes.""

"This is humanity moving around. For a global problem, we need a global solution."

"When we die, God will not ask us, "Did you understand me?" God will ask us, "Did you love me?" And if we did, the proof will be in how we loved our lives in love for one another. Or, as Jesus put it very simply, love one another as I have loved you."

"You know, parishes that only serve themselves or any kind of ministries that are inward directed, will die on the vine. It's really when we're outward looking, when we're focused on others that we become fully alive."

"There is the temptation to want to fight this pandemic alone. Stay together and fight together and pray together."

"We want our presence in Nepal to be creative. Apostolic creativity is a gift of the Holy Spirit. We want to give a contribution to the Nepalese society and we do it primarily through education and social works, which we have been carrying out for more than 20 years."

"We should start with prayer. That's where everything starts. We don't start by talking about ourselves or even examining our consciences. We start by prayer, on our knees. We come to the Lord and ask him to let us see ourselves as he sees us. He's the only one who can. God knows each one of us perfectly, and if we're seeking self-knowledge, we must go to him."

"The laity must be the engine of dialogue, as the link between government, political parties and other religious groups. Giving them more power can only benefit the nation. In order to implement the dialogue I have in mind we have to teach lay Catholics the concepts of openness and identity. Everyone should be open to other faiths, and be ready to respect their neighbours. At the same time, we must not forget to share our identity, without fear."

"It's rewarding to have been a bishop. What is important for us all is that we be aware of the presence of God in the present, in this moment and nowhere else, and then accept whatever comes. Then you know that God is present. Live every day conscious of God's love for you and His presence to you. As far as my achievements as bishop of Tulsa, I haven't any! Anything good I've been able to do is done by God. We're merely privileged to be his instruments."

"My wish for you is that you may persevere in the Christian faith. It is true that you are but a small group. However, do not forget that you are in communion with the one universal Church, the Church of Rome, and the Holy Father. In the two months since my arrival in Bangkok, I have come to know this Church well enough to appreciate it."

"Instead of the "rights" language, we prefer to focus on the cultivation of "dignity" and a healthy sense of "duty" toward the community, society, and country. Our duty is to promote or ensure dignity of the others, not only our own. Having said that, China, like the rest of the world, also needs to learn to do better in the promotion of dignity among all in the country as well as in the world."

"Tonight, we pay tribute to the first missionary, her faith in the Annunciation leads Mary to visit Elizabeth, with the announcement of Christ... The event that had taken place deep inside her becomes a message that is "broadcast" as news."

"The Church of Brussels is very close to European Union, there are exchanges, contacts... we try to welcome these officials, and this is the reason why Mass is celebrated in 23 different languages in Brussels, since the first thing to do is building bridges of trust with these people. We should do more."

"My discernment was that I really want to do the will of God. How I was asked — I felt this was God's will. My position, not only in this, but in life, is that when God is asking me to do something, I want to look for ways to say yes."

"Our world is becoming more and more secularized. In this context, I want our young people to know that God exists, that they are made in His image and likeness and that God has a providential plan for them. Also, a message that I want to share is that having a faith-life through the Church is a source of immense joy and peace throughout your life."

"A mystery is something that can never be fully known. There's always more to know about a mystery. And the beautiful thing is, it's a mystery that can capture your whole life. This mystery has the power to not only transform us through an encounter but then actually teach us how to live a eucharistic life, which is a life of self-gift in imitation of Jesus' gift. It makes me want to be able to give myself more and more with, for and in Jesus. It's this mystery that will never be exhausted."

"If you can't see it, then you can't prove it, then you can't believe it. That's never been a reasonable position. But it is the position of a lot of people in our society. Secularism has dramatically affected, especially our young people, in the way that they view the Church and especially the Sacraments of the church, which require you to kind of believe in a transcendent reality."

"We feel really honoured to be gathered at a time in our world when there’s a real need for Jesus and His life. We know that Jesus in the Eucharist gave His life for the world. And we want to be set on fire to be able to bring Him to those who are most in need."

"Our local Church today is a missionary Church. We have over 500 priests and religious sent as missionaries to Indonesia and the world. We are a Church blessed by the Lord with many vocations to priestly and consecrated life. But the cradle of these vocations is the family: our Catholic families live faith with devotion and profoundness, they approach the Sacraments, they practice charity. This is the environment where the seed of God's call can sprout."

"I can't believe I've been appointed a bishop. This is a major responsibility for me."

"The gifts of faith and freedom allow me and others to learn more about this child Jesus through the study of Bible and the teaching of the Church. With the presence of God's Spirit, faith and learning lead to love and the desire to imitate the self-sacrificing love of Jesus for all humanity."

"I pray that the Feast of Christmas will bring you the gift of knowing and believing in God's love and care for you and that you share that love with your family members, friends and neighbours. Let that love also flow out and express itself in care for the earth and in the desire to keep Bermuda beautiful, a desire that can also include the will to work and even sacrifice for the common good of all who call Bermuda their home."

"We can be proud of the fact that Australia is such a multicultural nation. However, if we don't interact and learn from each other, we remain exactly that – multicultural. We become intercultural when we enter into relationships of mutual respect and learning. It seems to me that, after such a long and painful wait, this is what is happening more and more in the relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians – learning and respect."

"The Church has a role to establish safe places and communities of reconciliation where the harsh truth can be told and listened to and healing can be fostered in a trusting and prayerful environment."

"Our challenge is to move from labelling to embracing, to grow in the consciousness of our own ethnocentrism in the remarks we make, in the attitudes that we have, to try our best to understand that other people have a history, a place in the world from which they've come."

"Given the necessity of explaining Mary’s subordinate role to Christ in the work of Redemption, it is always inappropriate to use the title “Co-redemptrix” to define Mary’s cooperation. This title risks obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation and can therefore create confusion and an imbalance in the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith, for “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). When an expression requires many, repeated explanations to prevent it from straying from a correct meaning, it does not serve the faith of the People of God and becomes unhelpful. In this case, the expression “Co-redemptrix” does not help extol Mary as the first and foremost collaborator in the work of Redemption and grace, for it carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ — the Son of God made man for our salvation, who was the only one capable of offering the Father a sacrifice of infinite value — which would not be a true honor to his Mother. Indeed, as the “handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38), Mary directs us to Christ and asks us to “do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5)."

"Cardinal Ratzinger already affirmed that the title “Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces” was not clearly grounded in Revelation. In line with this conviction, we can recognize the difficulties this title poses, both in terms of theological reflection and spirituality."

"Without dialogue with culture, we risk our message, however beautiful, becoming irrelevant."

"We firmly believe that the contribution of the social doctrine of the Church and of the Pope's Magisterium can offer support even in a pluralistic society such as that of today."

"Society is evolving rapidly and so are the conditions in which people live their faith. I am sure that the Church in Zimbabwe will be able to profit from its rich history and the faith, commitment, professionalism, and zeal of so many Priests, religious and lay people in order to face creativity in the new times that are ahead of us."

"We're the new mission lands. So I wanted to talk to the students at your graduation about being local missionaries, reaching out here. This is more challenging. There's more unbelief, more "nones," and more hostility to our faith. It's right here in our backyard."

"This synod should reflect on the importance of paying greater attention to this matter, passing from simple purification to seek suitable ways to include expressions, signs and gestures of this rich religious devotion in liturgy. In my view it is a challenge to our faith in God and in man. If we don't make this effort to overcome mere tolerance, we will tend to have parallel liturgies among the people; they will passively submit to our liturgy and joyously celebrate in their own way."

"People vote more now with their feet than they do with their geography. I tell the seminarians that people want intelligent priests; they want educated priests — priests who know what’s going on in politics, government and culture — so they can comment intelligently from the pulpit when interpreting the Gospel."

"I have been able to listen to different people in difficulty; they have always said that they have been very impressed by the dedication of the priests and religious, by their concern and awareness of the suffering. It has been thanks to this that they have begun to believe in God."

"I may make a pious affirmation, or tell people where I am in the diocese and what I'm doing. Its use requires prudence, but when I'm on Twitter I'm teaching. It's a valuable tool, one that I use to call people to a Catholic unity"

"How difficult it is for us to say, along with the Prodigal Son, "I have sinned." But there can be no healing before we acknowledge responsibility. The biggest stumbling block I can see is the denial of guilt where guilt is due. Second, we need to believe that mercy and healing are possible. "Can God forgive what I did?" I heard that in jail, too. Nobody is so vicious (or damaged) that the virtues can't take root in his soul, after repentance and a humble openness to Christ."

"Personally I think the thing that will survive, as survives so many important figures, is the writing that they leave behind and he has left behind many books that he wrote when he was simply Joseph Ratzinger and they are standing the test of time quite well, in my view."

"We pray that dads who know how to give help will have the courage to ask help from a loving Father who sent his Son to show us His great love, and to help fathers on earth to lead their children to heaven. We remember in our prayer those dads who have completed their work on earth. May they rest now in peace with the Father of us all, our loving God, who, in the love of husband and wife, gives us life and teaches us love."

"If I'm prepared for this new assignment as bishop... it's in large measure, not only to God's grace, but to the people who have inhabited my life, as a Catholic priest and as a person from Northeast Ohio."

"In response to Our Lady's call, let us be ready to show care and attention for other's well-being, just as we have received from our Mother, Mary. Let us be ready to bring others to the spiritual nourishment offered in the Teachings and Sacraments of the Church, and let us be ready to serve one another in love, expressing in our lives the same charity we have received from Our Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe!"

"The unity between body and spirit, between the intellect and the whole person, seems to be missing. If you do not see these as integrated -- which we, as Catholics, do -- you are probably going to create something that is in error."

"There will always be, I suppose, those people who are simply ignorant of the situation and people who would deny we are in such a difficult place. We've got to go on making sure that people understand the seriousness and the urgency of what we face at the moment."

"The presence of contemplatives is a reminder of the primacy of God: that God is the most important thing. We need these reminders of God's presence. We need to vindicate this presence of the contemplative life, of monks and nuns. Without God, you have nothing. By reminding us of this truth, contemplatives not only become a way of raising a silent cry to God for our world, for people, they also remind us that God loves us, forgives us, has saved us in his Son Jesus Christ, embraces us, and brings us to wholeness."

"The critical awareness of the people is weak. Some of them believe everything told to them by the means of social communication. Because of this, it is considered vital to promote the civic education of citizens and reinforce their critical awareness. That signifies also promoting the defence of freedom of expression and of opinion, as a democratic prerogative and range of development."

"Today our church, our Catholic Church has a great opportunity to evangelize our communities that are not just here or there but communities who don't have bread for their children."

"Religious freedom is not free. It comes at a cost. You Americans have been given the gift of religious freedom. Protect it, and never take it for granted."

"Only those who are animated by a patriotic spirit and not those who simply think about solving their personal problems should continue to do politics."

"The Pope chose to go to the periphery because that is where the sufferings the people live are to be found—real life. It is a sign of his concern for those living in Rome, a way of showing he is near."