Cardinals

"Without doctrine we cannot walk a path. To walk a path one must always know if we are going towards the destination, and if our steps are the right ones, for reaching the destination."

"We do not need to ask ourselves which steps society has to take to make so many different people form a united America, but let's rather try to discern what we, as the Church in America, can achieve. Our proposal is to serve."

"The family is a victim of forces which wish to destroy and deform it... our struggle on the pastoral level must be to fight the culture of death."

"It is important that we not fall into a social activism which can become a type of neo-pelagianism. Our work is always the work of God. We maintain a balance between our work and the action of God's grace, above all, by prayer - not only liturgical prayer but also personal prayer. I do not think we can overemphasize the importance of personal prayer, especially in our world today."

"If the Venezuelan people fail to grasp the seriousness of the situation and fail to categorically speak out in favor of democracy and freedom, we will find ourselves subjected to a Marxist-style dictatorship."

"We do not content ourselves with resolutely insisting on the preferential love of Jesus Christ for those who do not have material means. If we wish to promote holiness, also we must openly present his option for the poor of Yahweh. It is necessary to recuperate the option that led Him to choose Mary, Peter, Matthew, and so many others in order to build up his Church."

"The notion that a Catholic organization can function or work without the dimension of evangelization undermines the essential foundation and purpose of the entity. Engaging with the world does not mean the incorporation of the world's values and beliefs into the Church, but rather, the infusion of the Gospel into the world for its salvation."

"Two years of pontificate have amply demonstrated that the expectations of the Christian people have not only not been disappointed, but that Benedict XVI's Magisterium, rich in light, and his ministry, fruitful with grace, have opened new horizons of hope not only for the Church but for all mankind."

"He gave the witness of a particularly intense and competent commitment both from a pastoral and organizational, and an artistic-cultural point of view, endeavouring to restore spiritual vitality to the entire complex and new zeal to the ecumenical vocation of that place of worship."

"A loud call goes out to the entire Christian world to continue to heed the message of St Paul, Apostle of the Nations, who spoke and wrote to the Corinthians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Thessalonians, the Jews and the Romans in his time, and continues today to speak to the Nations on every continent."

"I think we need the Samaritan's sensitivity. This doesn't only involve doing things for others, but handling the other person's situation."

"It was a source of great joy to pass these three weeks not only "sub Petro" but "cum Petro". Pope Benedict was with us for most of the time, listening with arefuly and creating a friendly atmosphere amongst the Synod fathers; that's very important."

"It is not our task to now go and invent a new Church by ourselves. The Church is not just leverage that we have been handed to exercise [as we see fit]. Rather, it is our task as bishops to preserve the faith of the Church, as it has come down to us from the apostles, and to say and proclaim it afresh in our times, and also to preserve it for generations to come, and to express it for them in such a way that they too can encounter Christ as their salvation."

"The Pope spoke to us about the political, scientific, religious dimensions, constituent of modern humanism, and hoped that governors, the men of science and thought, and the spiritual guides of the great non-Christian religions should be the Magi of today. In the aforesaid challenges Benedict XVI has a supreme responsibility, and he undertakes it in an admirable way, with much science and much wisdom."

"Dialogue, that is the life of faith of the Christian, is not a matter of consciousness or of "self-consciousness" of the faith. That is just another affirmation of self, it is not the life of Christians. The life of Christians is Jesus. Those who engage in dialogue don’t have the "immediate" purpose of converting their interlocutor, but have the desire in their hearts of maybe one day kneeling together before Jesus with their interlocutor."

"I think this moment requires everyone to pray for peace, and not to put ourselves one against the other, but to work for national unity. Christians do not feel adequately protected, but they understand the difficulties in preventing acts of terrorism. In seven days the Coptic Orthodox will celebrate Christmas. I hope that this Christian community may celebrate the holiday in tranquility, peace and joy."

"Jesus Christ and His Church are our life, our passion; in Him and in Her we wish to grow ever more ourselves and help others to grow. This growth is the goal of the new evangelization and of the Ad Gentes mission."

"I always say that when people improvise, no matter how much goodwill they have, they're going to make many mistakes. And those mistakes will cause a lot of suffering."

"The importance of the media requires the Church to respond to the challenge of proclaiming the Gospel. Despite the limitations and risks of preaching the Gospel through the media, the Church must not be afraid. Without a presence in the media, we run the risk of being absent from the world, In the meantime, this world always needs the Good News."

""Stop" is the cry expressed by the Church in the name of abused humanity. The United States must also stop and I think it has the strength to do so. It must re-establish respect for human beings and return to the family of nations, overcoming the temptation to act on its own. If it does not stop, the whirlwind of horror will involve other peoples and will lead us ever more to the abyss."

"The Czech Republic is a small country of eleven million inhabitants. Christians make up about one third of the population. If the Holy Father decided to come to visit such a small country, with so few believers, he was urged only by apostolic love."

"I pray now that I will do all I can to feed the people of this Church and I know that I need to be fed by you. Over the last nine years I know that I have been fed and nourished by the prayer, commitment and enthusiasm of the wonderful people who give of themselves to the Church in many ways. Thank you!"

"Healthy inculturation can be of help. But one must never move away from the Magisterium of the Universal Church. And our masses must not be too particular. They must not be understood only by us Africans. Any Catholic who participates in a religious function of ours must be able to recognize it, must be able to feel at home. Catholicism is not Protestantism."

"At this moment, the priority is to bring God to the hearts of men and women, and men and women to the heart of God, and this is part of the message of Fatima. This is because we live in a time of religious indifference. Our greatest enemy is not militant atheism but religious indifference. This indifference is fought with the joyful and convinced testimony of faithful Christians."

"The most fundamental principle of legislation is to defend human rights. If a law violates the most fundamental right, the right to life, it commits a serious error."

"There are particularly large dioceses and archdioceses that require, among other things, particular gifts for pastoral government. I don't think it unreasonable or inadvisable to appoint to such Sees a churchman who has already given fair proof of himself in a less complex diocese. That then there may be people who maneuver to "make a career", that lies in the nature of things, it's a matter of human temptation. Even we churchmen are not immune from original sin..."

"It is necessary to be extremely cautious, because if hatred is fostered with a spirit of vengeance, the fundamentalists are given the possibility to have more power, and the terrorists the opportunity to recruit other terrorists more easily."

"There is clearly a pastoral dimension. We have the task of promoting and defending the Faith, preaching the Faith. This is an eminently pastoral role. It involves promoting the Catholic Faith so that it is increasingly known and, when there are problems, defending this Faith as well."

"Remembering the past of the peoples helps to project the future. We cannot forget the history of people."

"At any event I wasn't informed. I was a bishop from far-away America. I just tried to pray a little. Holding in mind the things that could help judgment before God."

"I wouldn't have become a priest if had I not had the background in the formation in the Catholic youth movement. The basic aim of the movement was the formation of leaders for the mission of the Church."

"He is a true pastor. I was deeply moved by his homily on the day of the inauguration of his ministry, particularly by the use of the image of the wasteland. Many people, for different reasons, including poverty and abandonment, are living in the wasteland of modern, secular society. It seemed to me that in the words of the Holy Father there was a wonderful compassion and understanding of the suffering of people in today's world."

"Exclusion from the Sacraments easily leads first to alienation and resentment, and then to seeking membership of another Church which offers a compassionate welcome."

"The mission of the Church is the one given to her by Christ: to be a force for evangelization and leaven for the building of a Christian community as well as leaven for national unity."

"I like highlighting a specific charism of this theologian pope: his ability to communicate important issues of the faith in a language accessible to all the Christian people. This specific characteristic makes the most of the spiritual and cultural training of this Pontiff and is also a particular gift for all believers, who look to the Pope so they may feel steadfast and directed in their faith, and that happens when the Christian people hear words accessible to all."

"An effective experience of solidarity among the countries of America will overcome injustices and economic inequalities."

"Bolivia is right now in need of profound changes, in order to become a homeland for all people. This leads us, as Bishops, to make continual appeals so that everything may take place in tranquility, without violence, without hate or revenge. This is the call that we are constantly making, asking all to be capable of dialoguing, of healing wounds, working towards national reconciliation."

"Latin America, with the exception of course of some small groups, has always manifested itself with a strong ecclesial communion with the Holy Father and adherence to his teaching. I believe that the episcopates move in that perspective and also all the organizations of the People of God. I believe the main challenge is to maintain this unity, to make it patent in difficult moments, to express it."

"In times of globalization, the world has shrunk, transforming itself into a village where nations have become families living for one another and dependent on each other. And, according to the cultural tradition of Vietnam, families, in relationships among them, are like a village. By this metaphor I want to emphasize that the Vatican and Vietnam seem to have the will to build relations of this type."

"The culture of the indigenous groups is one the great riches of our country. The first bishop of Guatemala said that the Church should recognize the Indios and that they should recognize the Church. A process which is not yet finished. So the inculturation of the faith is not a problem, but a challenge, rather. It must be done with judgment, without mixing the Christian identity with another which is not Christian."

"Pay pastoral attention to the family as the domestic church because that is where everyone's faith experience is formed."

"Upright generations, young boys and girls in certain developed countries and those in countries of the Third World, have become conscious that to change the world, its myths and is ghosts, is a realistic project and is possible. Some NGOs emerge to protect the material environment and defend the rights of oppressed peoples. For the Church, light of the world, to play her prophetic role she should concretely commit herself in this fight with a view to finding the truth."

"South Africa's leadership thinks that respect for human rights is a sufficient basis for democracy. However all the country's religious leaders, not only Catholics, say this is not enough: strong supported must be given to moral values to ensure correct social progress."

"It's a simplification to say that the American Church wanted to be free from the Church of Rome. That's not the case. While Carroll was sincerely loyal to the pope, he saw it as very useful for Rome to understand the advantages of making the most of the qualities of the American people and that it would encourage the flowering of the American Church. Today we have almost 200 dioceses."

"Community is at the center of our faith experience and journey. Jesus calls us into the community of the Church. Community is therefore integral to our faith in God, who is a Trinity of Persons. Happily, despite imperfections and challenges therefrom, the community is still a central value for many Africans and the key point of our episcopal ministry."

"Currents exist that try to diminish the spiritual office of the Church to a merely organizational function. To combat this ecclesiological relativism, we must be firmly anchored to the sacramental aspect of the episcopal office, which is also valid for the priesthood and the diaconate."

"They've always known me as Fr. Felix and I want them to continue to call me Fr. Felix. Don't go biting their tongue looking for titles. I enjoy it. It's very warm, it's affectionate calling me Fr. Felix."

"We pray that Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of America, will guide our countries always down the path of democracy, truth, justice and peace."

"The Amazon is a territory that is devastated and threatened by the concessions made by States to transnational corporations. Large-scale mining projects, monoculture and climate change place its lands and natural environment at great risk, leading to the destruction of cultures, undermining the self-determination of peoples and above all affronting Christ incarnate in the people who live there."

"The idea is that we discover Christ in our life – Christ who is risen – and this experience is so powerful that we cannot preserve it for ourselves. We need to share."