Roman Catholic Bishops

"We have never said that the Council directly professed heresies. But the wall of protection against error was removed, and thus error was allowed to manifest itself. The faithful need protection. This is the constant struggle of the militant Church to defend the faith."

"Interviewer: Who in the Vatican worked hardest to reach this solution?}} Mgr. Fellay: Certainly Cardinal Hoyos, who is head of the Commission responsible for relations between the Holy See and the Fraternity of St. Pius X. But above all, Pope Benedict XVI. I understood this from the first audience I had with him shortly after his election. Although he reproached us, the Holy Father's tone was gentle, truly paternal."

"The lifting of the excommunication, together with the Motu proprio of Pope Benedict XVI on the old Mass, is an important, truly important sign for our little lifeboat. That is why I speak of joy and satisfaction. Interviewer: Where and when did you learn of the decree? Mgr. Fellay: I learned of it a few days ago in Rome, in the office of a cardinal, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, the president of the Ecclesia Dei Commission."

"What the Society of Saint Pius X has done since its foundation and will continue to do, it has done and will do solely for the good of the Church. Even the episcopal consecrations of 1988 were done for that purpose: for the good of the Church and for our survival. Archbishop Lefebvre had to, I repeat, had to ensure continuity."

"We both agree that there are already a number of practical provisions in place that make schism practically impossible. That is, in practice, in our everyday actions, we express and show Rome our submission, the fact that we recognise these authorities, and this not only at Mass, not only by naming the Pope and the local bishop in the canon of the Mass, but also in other ways. There is the example of the Pope himself, who has given us the power to hear confessions. There are also legal acts: it is a little complicated to explain, but it can happen that a priest commits canonical crimes, and in such cases we refer to Rome, which grants us the faculty and sometimes even requires us to issue a judgement on such cases. So these are really normal relationships. It is not just a matter of jurisdiction over confessions, there is a whole range of things involved."

"When Pope Francis was elected, I thought: now comes the excommunication. But it was the opposite: Cardinal Mueller wanted to have us excommunicated, and Pope Francis refused. He told me personally: ‘I will not condemn you.’ Reconciliation will come. Our Mother Church is incredibly divided at the moment. The conservatives want us, and they have said so in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The German bishops absolutely do not want us. Rome has to deal with all these elements, we understand that. If we were simply accepted as we are, there would be a war in the Church. There is a fear that we will triumph. The Pope told journalists: ‘I will make sure that it is not a triumph.’"

"The new Mass has shortcomings and hides dangers. Of course, not every new Mass is directly scandalous, but the repeated celebration of the new Mass leads to a weak faith and even to its loss. We see how every day there are fewer and fewer priests who still believe in the Real Presence."

"It is clear that Pope Francis wants to let us live and survive. He even said, to those who want to hear him, that he would never harm the Fraternity. He has also said that we are Catholics. He refused to condemn us for schism, saying, ‘They are not schismatics, they are Catholics,’ even though he later used a somewhat enigmatic term, namely that we are on the path towards full communion."

"With Pope Francis we do not see this attachment to either liturgy or ancient discipline; one could even say that the opposite is true, manifested through many contrary statements, and this is what makes understanding such benevolence even more difficult and complicated. I think there are at least several possible explanations, but I confess that I do not have the final word on the matter. One explanation is Pope Francis' view of everything that is marginalised, what he calls the “existential peripheries”. I would not be surprised if he considered us one of these peripheries to which he clearly gives his preference."

"We have an excellent relationship. As soon as Pope Francis) hears that we are in Rome, he opens all doors for us. He often offers us his help, even in minor matters. Once he said to us: ‘I have problems when I do something good for you. I help Protestants and Anglicans... why shouldn't I also help Catholics?’ Some want to prevent reconciliation. We are a disruptive factor in the Church."

"We have souls to save. The Church is not new. If we follow what the Church has always done, and what the saints have always done, we are assured of being on the safe path to Heaven. In all times, the Church has considered novelties dangerous and the fruit of pride. We might, today, say that there is a sickness for novelty and change. But God does not change. The Faith does not change. The Commandments do not change. Be faithful to what the Church has always taught in her catechisms and you will be assured of being on the right side of this fight for God and His glory."

"You actually start the job on your knees, pray, because that's where the job puts you, instantly, on your knees, pray, because so many things are really to be put in God's hands, and to let God lead us, guide us, shape us, form us as we need to be."

"So one of the questions I think Jesus is going to ask us on judgment day is not have we lived a good life, and not just have we lived the Gospel, he's going to ask us "Who have you made a disciple of in My name?" So that becomes the question for me and for you, who am I discipling right now?"

"God, our loving Creator, created two sexes. So, femininity and masculinity are linked to the design of God. You see this in a good marriage; each partner anticipates the other’s needs, and appreciates the other's gifts. I've seen this in the marriage of my own parents, who have been married for 72 years. Their love is so beautiful, and their complementarity so evident."

"There can be legitimate debate between parties and candidates as to the best policy to address an issue; however, this is not the same as disagreement on fundamental principles. The question prayerfully to ask ourselves then, is whether it is permissible to vote for a candidate whose positions oppose the truth of fundamental principles because one likes the candidate’s policy stance on other issues."

"Life is the first right and without it no others can be given. We claim it for everyone at any age or in any situation that life finds itself in, and especially those who are weak, unprotected and defenseless"

"I just try to teach what the Catholic Church teaches. I do not seek notoriety or controversy, but it just goes to show how anti-Catholic our secular culture has become and how countercultural being a Christian actually is."

"In view of their gravely immoral action to deprive unborn children legal protection against abortion, it must be said that any Catholic legislator who sponsored, promoted, advocated, or voted for these pro-abortion bills has acted in a seriously sinful manner unfaithful to the 2,000-year-old Christian teaching against abortion and therefore, would place themselves outside of the full communion of the Catholic Church, such persons are not to receive Holy Communion until they have celebrated the sacrament of reconciliation and displayed a public conversion of life."

"Over the course of time, the Ordinary Magisterium, together with numerous Saints and Doctors of the Church, have taught the Marian doctrines of Coredemption and Mediation, employing among other expressions the specific titles “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix of All Graces.” Consequently, it cannot be maintained that the Ordinary Magisterium, along with Saints and Doctors of the Church over so many centuries, could have led the faithful astray through a consistently inappropriate use of these Marian titles. Moreover, throughout the ages, this Marian doctrine and the use of these titles have also expressed the sensus fidei—the sense of faith of the faithful. Therefore, by adhering to the traditional teaching of the Ordinary Magisterium regarding Coredemption and Mediation, and by recognizing the legitimacy of the titles “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix of All Graces,” the faithful do not depart from the right path of faith nor from a sound and well-informed piety toward Christ and His Mother."

"There is no authority to declare or consider an elected and generally accepted Pope as an invalid Pope. The constant practice of the Church makes it evident that even in the case of an invalid election this invalid election will be de facto healed through the general acceptance of the new elected by the overwhelming majority of the cardinals and bishops."

"God pours His grace into our soul according to our capacity and according to our prayers, without violating our freedom. Therefore, we have to pray. This is our basic and first duty—not the prayer of petition only, to ask for graces, but the prayer of adoration. The first task of all creation is to adore God, to acknowledge His divinity, His majesty, His greatness."

"We are a family, the Church. We are not a business, but we are a family. The bishops are responsible for the health of the entire Church, especially in a time of crisis. And now we are in a crisis. And only a blind person – spiritually blind – could deny that we are experiencing a deep confusion currently in the Church, doctrinally, liturgically, and morally. And therefore, when bishops shall raise their voices to defend the truth, they are doing, in my opinion, a good work, and helping in some way the pope and their brothers in the episcopacy."

"But we are not only permitted to believe in Hell, we are obliged to believe in it. It is, after all, a statement contained directly in divine revelation. We mustn't choose from revelation whatever we please. Catholicism is not an à la carte religion. Either we accept the whole revelation - all the dogmas of faith, including the truth about eternal damnation in Hell - or we reject the whole thing."

"When people are really persecuted, you need to help them. But as for the phenomenon of the European so-called immigration, it is clear and evident by what we can observe, that this is an orchestrated action of the international powerful political organizations. It is the aim, the clear aim, to take away from Europe its Christian and its national identity. It is meant to dilute the Christian and the national character of Europe. The majority of the so-called migrants are Muslims, so there is going on also an Islamisation of Europe. Of course, these people are not guilty, but they are used as means by powerful organizations. This we cannot accept. We have to state that it is not just to destroy the Christian and national identity of Europe by means of this artificial immigration"

"When we speak of stripping, we speak of our God. It is a biblical perspective, spelled out in the letter to the Philippians which says God stripped himself. When we speak of this, we speak of the core of our faith which St. Francis wanted to express and imitate."

"People come from all over the world to visit the famous excavations of Pompei, people of different faiths, people of no faith. And this is an opportunity for interreligious dialogue and missionary work. Precisely for this reason the Basilica's facade is a monument to universal peace and it is here that the Holy Father will pray for the salvation of the world."

"My invitation to these young people is only one: do not look at these negative examples—look at the saints, who in the Church are more numerous than these sinners, these traitors of their own mission, of their vocation. This I would say first. Second point, look for people who inspire confidence in you, and follow them. But the first person to look at and to follow is Jesus!"

"The First Commandment does not admit even the slightest ambiguity and vagueness. A Catholic can acknowledge only the worship of the Most Holy Trinity and of Christ the King, the Incarnated God. Therefore, a Catholic cannot participate even indirectly in any other religious cult. A Catholic cannot burn even the smallest grain of incense before the images of the new idols, for example, before the idol of a standard religion, before the idol of … public opinion, of political correctness before the idol of the so-called “Mother Earth” of the idol of climate change, of icebergs."

"Forgiveness of the sin of abortion does not mean the Church condones abortion, neither does it minimise its grave effects."

"Christmas is a good time to reflect on the humility espoused by Jesus Christ. The fact that he came on earth in a human body, the fact that he was born in the cowshed and died on the cross manifests his humility. Our message on Christmas is that it is fete of peace and kindness from God and which people should exercise and share."

"God is not found in a disorganised way. If someone has a church they should also follow the doctrine of that church."

"Christians have every reason to feel insecure and also there is a general feeling of their marginalisation from the political process. If the principles of our religion were different, there would be a civil war by now. It is the glory of our religion that this hasn’t happened. It is difficult to preach peace in this context. Any resolution depends on how Christians decide to react. They won’t use violence but what will they do?”"

"If the people in power don’t do enough to integrate Christians then they give oxygen to Islamism. If they have countries where everybody is Muslim in power then you give vent to the idea that Islam should be supreme."

"In continuing to celebrate the Mass of Pope Saint Pius V no priest performs any act of disobedience, but on the contrary he exercises his right sanctioned by God, which not even the Pope can revoke. Whoever has the power to offer the Holy Sacrifice has the right to celebrate it in the ancient rite, as it was solemnly proclaimed by Saint Pius V in the Apostolic Constitution Quo Primum, promulgating the Tridentine Liturgy."

"Let's consider the history of the Jesuits. That is something I am studying now with great care. In fact, if you would like to know the synthesis of my thought, it is this: What we are now seeing is the triumph of a 60-year-old plan, the successful execution of a well-thought out plan to bring a new sort of thinking into the heart of the Church, a thinking rooted in elements of Liberation Theology containing strands of Marxism, little interested in traditional Catholic liturgy or morality or theology, but rather focused on ‘praxis’ in the field of social justice. And now this plan has achieved one of its supreme goals, with a Jesuit on the See of Peter."

"The American people are mature and have now understood how much the mainstream media does not want to spread the truth but seeks to silence and distort it, spreading the lie that is useful for the purposes of their masters. However, it is important that the good – who are the majority – wake up from their sluggishness and do not accept being deceived by a minority of dishonest people with unavowable purposes. It is necessary that the good, the children of light, come together and make their voices heard. What more effective way is there to do this, Mr. President, than by prayer, asking the Lord to protect you, the United States, and all of humanity from this enormous attack of the Enemy? Before the power of prayer, the deceptions of the children of darkness will collapse, their plots will be revealed, their betrayal will be shown, their frightening power will end in nothing, brought to light and exposed for what it is: an infernal deception."

"The spiritual battle is always the real battle"

"Our faith dictates that we are to respect our governing authorities and exercise responsible citizenship. But it also calls us to eradicate injustice wherever we find it"

"Rejecting the title of Co-Redemptrix is not simply a matter of language. It is part of an ongoing effort to strip the faith of its supernatural claims, to make the Church appear harmless to a world that hates the cross. The Blessed Virgin is the most perfect human reflection of divine truth. To diminish her role is to diminish the very reality of grace. When her titles are declared “inappropriate”, it is not she who is diminished, but our understanding of Christ, for every Marian truth protects a Christological truth."

"Time matters. God will hold us accountable for the way we use it. All of us who call ourselves Christians share the same vocation to love God first and above all things; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We’re citizens of heaven first; but we have obligations here. We’re Catholics and Christians first. And if we live that way — zealously and selflessly in our public lives — our country will be the better for it; and God will use us to help make the world new."

"It’s my belief that the Church must get past these human-formed groups and sects, because, frankly, all of that has become a hindrance and distraction. The Divine meets us there, at the altar, but, meanwhile, we have been chewing each other up and ripping one another apart — and what are the fruits of this? This isn’t the Holy Spirit, this division.I encourage those in the traditional congregations to remember why they love the liturgy, why and how the reverence points to him. There is such a great opportunity for setting an example of simple, joyful reverence in the extraordinary form. That sense of awe that I experienced should be experienced by all. I understand it may be that for some who attend these traditional Latin Masses; the lack of reverence they have experienced [in the ordinary form] and even possible persecution from those within the Church for their reverence, has caused a reactionary response. But the fruits of discord, division, sectarianism, elitism, even spiritual pride: These cannot be from the liturgy — it is fully human, reactionary. I think this is where the devil seeps in, distracting this community from the focus on Jesus to a focus on the ritual, on legalism and even elitism. It’s a subtle deception."

"If the Lord wants to use me as a sort of a David-voice in the face of the Goliath of our sinful culture, you know I'm ready to pull out the slingshot."

"The secular iconoclasm of the current moment will not bring reconciliation, peace, and healing. Such violence will only perpetuate the prejudice and hatred it ostensibly seeks to end. Religious freedom, given to man by God Himself, and guaranteed by our Constitution, allows us as Catholics to practice our faith, build our churches, pray in public, put up statues and crucifixes on our property, and serve the common good through a remarkable network of health care, schools, and social services. We must not surrender our religious liberty to the voices that seek the destruction of our public presence, the diminishing of our sacramental worship, and the denial of our belief in Jesus Christ as the savior of the world. Only the love of Christ can heal a wounded heart, not a vandalized piece of metal."

"In Her missionary outreach, some in the Church at times have mistakenly equated the fullness of Catholicism with European culture. We have learned over time, as have others, to approach a different culture with respect and humility, recognizing the inherently authentic human elements already present in each person and place. We attempt to maintain unity in that which is essential, and diversity in those things which are not. A robust proclamation of the Gospel will purify every culture of its negative and destructive elements, but will leave intact its beauty, goodness, and truth. Belief in Jesus as Our Lord and Savior only makes us more fully human and more deeply rooted in the worth of our respective culture and country."

"Msgr. Joseph Strickland, as quoted in Aldo Maria Valli, Monsignor Strickland: “Colpire Maria significa colpire l’Eucaristia. Non restiamo in silenzio!” (November 2025)"

"If in order to help the needy one is able, without ill-will, to strip the rich down to their shirts, one is not doing wrong, especially if they are heartless skinflints."

"Now the bishop is in joy, Lalli in evil torture. The bishop sings with the angels, performs a joyful hymn. Lalli is skiing down in hell. His left ski slides along, Into the thick smoke of torture. With his staff he strikes about him: Demons beset him cruelty. In the swelter of hell They assail his pitiful soul."

"The Son of God is nailed to the cross; but on the cross God conquers human death. Christ, the Son of God, dies; but all flesh is made alive in Christ. The Son of God is in hell; but man is carried back to heaven."

"Unhappily, a love of walls has seized you; unhappily, the Church of God which you venerate exists in houses and buildings; unhappily, under these you find the name of peace. Is it doubtful that in these Antichrist will have his seat? Safer to me are mountains, and woods, and lakes, and dungeons, and whirlpools; since in these prophets, dwelling or immersed, did prophesy."

"Many are kept within the pale of the church by the fear of God; yet they are tempted all the while to worldly faults by the allurements of the world. They pray, because they are afraid; they sin, because it is their will. The fair hope of future life makes them call themselves Christians; the allurements of present pleasure make them act like heathen. They do not abide in ungodliness, because they hold the name of God in honour; they are not godly because they follow after things contrary to godliness. ... These, then, are they whom the judgment awaits which unbelievers have already had passed upon them and believers do not need... and their judgment arises from the fact that, though they loved Christ, they yet loved darkness more. (John 3:18-19)"