Catholics From The United States

"We still keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed Rome! The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world, that morning of Easter Day. Allow me to follow up that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and we move forward with each other. We are disciples of Christ. Christ is before us. The world needs its light. Humanity needs Him as the bridge to be reached by God and His love. Help us too, then one another to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, all by uniting us to be one people always at peace. Thank you to Pope Francis!"

"(Concerning Nostra Aetate) And so I, too, confirm that the church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself. We cannot deny that there have been misunderstandings, difficulties and conflicts in this period, but these have never prevented the dialogue from continuing. Even today, we must not allow political circumstances and the injustices of some to divert us from friendship, especially since we have achieved so much so far. Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours. Never in the relationship of Catholics and Jews since ‘Nostra Aetate’ has the Jewish people been more in need of friends who commit themselves to combating antisemitism with every fiber of their being. The Catholic Church has one of the largest megaphones available. It has moral suasion that is unparalleled. We hope that they will use all of the tools in their arsenal to double down in that effort."

"Today we desolately witness the unjust use of hunger as a weapon of war. Starving the population is a very cheap way of waging war. That is why today, when most conflicts are not fought by regular armies but by groups of armed civilians with few means, burning land, stealing livestock, blocking aid are tactics increasingly used by those who wish to control entire defenceless populations. Thus, in this type of conflict, the first military targets become the water supply networks and communication routes.Farmers cannot sell their produce in contexts threatened by violence and inflation skyrockets. This leads to huge numbers of people succumbing to the scourge of hunger and dying, with the aggravating factor that, while civilians are weakened by misery, the political summits grow fat on corruption and impunity."

"Do you know how many stars there are in the observable universe? An impressive and marvellous number: a sextillion stars – a 1 followed by 24 zeros! If we divided them among the 8 billion inhabitants of Earth, each person would have hundreds of billions of stars to themselves. With the naked eye, on clear nights, we can see about five thousand of them. However, they show us a direction, just like when sailing at sea. Travellers have always found their way using the stars. Sailors followed the North Star; Polynesians crossed the ocean by memorising star charts. According to the farmers of the Andes, whom I met as a missionary in Peru, the sky is an open book that marks the seasons of sowing, shearing, and the cycles of life. Even the Magi followed a star to get to Bethlehem and worship the Baby Jesus."

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights , approved and proclaimed by the United Nations on 10 December 1948, is now part of humanity’s cultural heritage. That text, which is always relevant, can contribute greatly to placing the human person, in his or her inviolable integrity, at the foundation of the quest for truth, thus restoring dignity to those who do not feel respected in their inmost being and in the dictates of their conscience."

"Trusting in the assistance of the almighty, I pledge to continue and strengthen the Church’s dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostea Aetate."

"We continue to follow carefully and with hope the developments in Iran, Israel and Palestine. The words of the prophet Isaiah resound with urgent relevance: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Is 2:4)."

"Being a good shepherd means being able to accompany God's people and live close to them, not being isolated. Pope Francis has said this clearly many times. He does not want bishops who live in palaces. He wants bishops who live in relationship with God, with the rest of the episcopate, with priests and, above all, with the people of God in a way that reflects the compassion and love of Christ, creating community, learning to live what it means to be part of the Church in an integral way that includes much listening and dialogue."

"I also want to thank all my brother cardinals who chose me to be Peter's successor and to walk with you as a united Church, always seeking peace, justice, always trying to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries."

"Pope Francis has spoken of four types of closeness: closeness to God, to brother bishops, to priests and to all God's people. One must not give in to the temptation to live isolated, separated in a palace, satisfied with a certain social level or a certain level within the church. And we must not hide behind an idea of authority that no longer makes sense today. The authority we have is to serve, to accompany priests, to be pastors and teachers."

"A bishop must not be a little prince sitting in his kingdom."

"I always had the impression of a man who wanted to live the Gospel authentically, consistently. In the days when I was Prior General of the Augustinians, several times during visits to my brothers in Argentina, when he was still a cardinal, I had the opportunity to meet him and speak with him, informally and on more institutional matters'."

"Q: Can the process for the appointment of new bishops be improved? Praedicate Evangelium states that "members of the people of God" must be involved. Is this happening? A: We had an interesting reflection among the members of the Dicastery on this issue. For some time now, not only some bishops or some priests, but also other members of the people of God are being heard. This is very important, because the bishop is called to serve a particular Church. Therefore, listening to the people of God is also important. If a candidate is not known by anyone among his people, it is difficult—not impossible, but difficult—for him to truly become pastor of a community, of a local Church. So, it is important that the process is a little more open to listening to different members of the community. This does not mean that it is the local Church that has to choose its pastor, as if being called to be a bishop was the result of a democratic vote, of an almost ‘political’ process. A much broader view is needed, and the apostolic nunciatures help a lot in this. I believe that, little by little, we need to open up more, to listen a little more to the religious, the laity."

"Sometimes the bishop risks focusing only on the local dimension. But a bishop should have a much broader vision of the Church and reality, and experience the universality of the Church. He also needs the ability to listen to his neighbour and seek advice, as well as psychological and spiritual maturity. A fundamental element of the portrait of a bishop is being a pastor, capable of being close to the members of the community."

"Interviewer: You are an Augustinian. How does Augustinian spirituality characterise your ministry? Cardinal Prevost: We could say several things... As my episcopal motto suggests, unity and communion are part of the charism of the Order of Saint Augustine and also of my way of acting and thinking. I think it is very important to promote communion in the Church, and we know well that communion, participation and mission are the three key words of the Synod. So, as an Augustinian, promoting unity and communion is fundamental for me. St Augustine also speaks a lot about unity in the Church and the need to live it, about the fact that there is a certain guarantee of unity in listening to the Bishop of Rome, in being part of the Church of Rome. In this sense too, therefore, I feel that the Pope's new call is a way of living my unity and participation in the Church, in obedience to the Holy Father. This too is very Augustinian. Interviewer: How much does the figure of Augustine inspire your choices, your steps, your service in the Church? Cardinal Prevost: St Augustine is certainly a great figure not only for the order but for everyone. I wish I had more time to study and read him. He has so much to offer the Church, even the Church of today. Then there is what I said before: unity in the Church and fidelity to the Bishop of Rome, always seeking to promote communion. Living unity in the Church, as Augustine recommends, means living united in Christ."

"Even today, there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, for weak and unintelligent people; contexts in which other forms of security are preferred, such as technology, money, success, power, and pleasure. These are environments where it is not easy to bear witness to and proclaim the Gospel, and where believers are mocked, opposed, despised, or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are places where mission is urgent, because the lack of faith often brings with it tragedies such as the loss of the meaning of life, the forgetting of mercy, the violation of human dignity in its most dramatic forms, the crisis of the family and other wounds from which our society suffers greatly."

"I am a son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, who said: “I am a Christian with you and a bishop for you.” In this sense we can all walk together towards that homeland that God has prepared for us. A special greeting to the Church of Rome! We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive like this square with open arms. All of them, all those who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love."

"(Meeting the cardinals in Vatican) Dear brothers, I would like to conclude this first part of our meeting by making my own – and proposing to you as well – the wish that Saint Paul VI expressed at the beginning of his Petrine Ministry in 1963: ‘May it pass over the whole world like a great flame of faith and love, kindling all people of good will, illuminating the paths of mutual cooperation, and drawing upon humanity, again and always, the abundance of divine favours, the very strength of God, without whose help nothing is valid, nothing is holy.’"

"To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, which always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer."

"Spirituality is just staying awake. Spirituality is the awareness that we are in God's presence."

"When I read great literature, great drama, speeches, or sermons, I feel that the human mind has not achieved anything greater than the ability to share feelings and thoughts through language."

"I would not trade this vocation for anything and loved working with all of the archbishops. I am glad I was not assigned anywhere else."

"I have never traveled to anyone else's drumbeat. Some people have called me a rebel. I qualify as one. A lot of it is inadvertent, unintentional, not a gesture at all, just me, just the nature of myself, finding my own drumbeat."

"If you live in an oppressive society, you've got to be resilient. You can't let each little thing crush you. You have take every encounter and make yourself larger, rather than allow yourself to be diminished by it."

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter."

"We, as Catholics, are meant to be engaged in the world, but our engagement is in the Lord."

"I said if I want to do this I would want to live in a community. The Franciscans are always really down to earth and that appealed to me. They also have a very big outreach to the poor and that's something I was very drawn to. It's been life-giving to be able to give back to people who are in great need."

"If I thought that God was asking something of me, I've always tried to respond positively. I never thought I'd be out here in Chicago. I never thought that I would be a bishop. But when you say "yes" to God, there are all kinds of surprises along the way - and they're good."

"Each one of us is called by God to be a "preposition" in life, because, as the grammaticians will tell us, little things mean a lot."

"It is time that we recognize that morality and ethics determines what we believe and not our political party. Are we Catholic first or are we adherents to a political party and then Catholic?"

"Never would I have dreamed that I would be walking through the halls of Sacramento and talking with the various levels of government . . . and learning about all these issues and laws and policies, it was a graced place to be."

"There is no vocation without its trials and difficulties, but a vocation is nevertheless God's choice of how he wants us to serve him in this life. And God doesn't make mistakes. He gives us the grace of perseverance provided we are sufficiently humble to accept the help proffered."

"The Gospel message tells us that we are all created by God in His image and likeness, and we are all equal, and therefore we have to learn to live and work together and cooperate."

"Catholic theologians write and reflect on the "victims of history" and the importance of "remembering" their history and "giving voice" to even the dead who are victims of injustice, and their narrative. We do so precisely through the lens of the memory of Jesus and his suffering and death. The theological reflections of our Church motivate us to work for human dignity, justice and charity for all peoples today – especially the victimized and marginalized."

"If you have understanding, then you can build trust. If you have trust, you can build community and have respect for people's dignity."

"It's not a job. It's not just vestments. We're supposed to reflect in our life an intimacy so profound that you see the presence of Jesus."

"We have to take some responsibilities as Christians for what was done by our brothers and sisters, and that's the idea of it. When we rejoice in what our forefathers and foremothers have done, we have to think also of the indignities and injustices that were committed by those who were our brothers and sisters."

"The world is suffering. In large part, its misery comes from a lack of a sense of God. The role of the Pope is to point people towards God who is the source of love and truth. With openness to the Transcendent... public life can become active and fruitful, and society, even a global society, can be transformed for the good."

"Those who are not motivated by laws rarely are persuaded when an appeal is made to "obligation." The need, then, is to look beyond "the law.""

"The diocesan bishop must ask whether a Catholic institution compromises its obligation to give public witness by placing prestige over truth. The bishop must be concerned that Catholic institutions do not succumb to the secular culture, making decisions that appear to many, including ordinary Catholics, as a surrender to a culture opposed to the truth about life and love."

"Put aside the divisiveness of Democrat, or Republican, or any other political party, and see the face of Christ in our neighbors, especially the people who are suffering and even those who disagree with us."

"He was always first a priest and a bishop and administrator second. He brought a certain human touch to the work he did so it was very encouraging."

"A right to do something evil simply cannot be a right all. Never! That simply defies logic."

"After Sri Lanka, Africa and Japan, it's a different world in the same world. Each area has its own particular challenge."

"I look back nostalgically to that time, thirty-five years ago, when we worked and prayed and studied together. I remember Father De Paoli as a man of few words, but he observed events objectively, with a keen eye, and his judgments were sound."

"Never allow yourself to be turned away from the hope offered by the gospel. Now, you are not only a hearer of this gospel but also its minister."

"He spoke very clearly, warning us as a people of God of the dictatorship of relativism, not to be co-opted by the world around him. May we be strengthened to grow in our love of God by Benedict's example."

"Flowers are a gift of the Creator and their beauty speaks a language all their own. To offer a flower is a sign of sharing and caring between the giver and the receiver."

"Fear is a normal reaction, and even priests and those in religious life will also experience fear, but fear can lead us to a deeper faith, it turns into a deeper trust in God if we allow God to be part of the journey."

"Christ is born. We say "is" not "was" because Christ is always with us. Christ does not desert us, we might desert him."