Roman Catholic Bishops

"I have a Vicariate as large as all France, and three churches and two priests."

"The Church will continue to support the struggle for the official and definitive abolition of capital punishment in the country and defend life, from conception until its natural end. We will do it with public statements, but also with awareness and the education of children and young people, to increase the value and the culture of life in the country."

"I am grateful to the Lord for his grace in choosing me, a humble servant, as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Beijing. I am aware that I do not have the qualities required for the task entrusted to me, but I accept it in faith and entrust myself to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Matthew the Apostle, trusting with all my heart and promising to dedicate myself entirely to the fulfillment of my pastoral duties, because "I do all things for the sake of Gospel.""

"The cathedral city, officially known as Bendigo, is situated about one hundred miles directly north of Melbourne, in a shallow basin surrounded by an amphitheatre of gently-rising hills rich in gold, discovered in the district in 1852. This fact attracted to Bendigo immigrants from all parts of the world, among them many Irish and others professing the Catholic Faith. The first missionary was the Rev. Dr. Backhaus. On 21 Sept., 1874, Most Reverend Martin Crane, O.S.A., was consecrated first bishop of this diocese and arrived at the scene of his future labors early in 1875 accompanied by the Rev. M. Maher and the Rev. Stephen Reville, O.S.A. The latter was in 1885 appointed coadjutor bishop to Dr. Crane and succeeded him as bishop on 21 Oct., 1901. During the twenty five years of Dr. Crane's active administration, and since his demise, the interests of the Church have advanced rapidly both in a spiritual and material sense."

"As the Catholic Church, we have repeatedly tried to point out the importance of non-violence: Violence cannot be the answer to our situation. We regularly hold prayer meetings for peace and ask everyone to be builders of peace and harmony"

"The bishop began with great plans and a sincere desire to promote the welfare of the Church in his territory."

"The Catholic Church is conspicuous in the United States. The number of her adherents, the wealth of her churches, the activity of her religious orders of men and women, her parochial schools, colleges, academies, and 'universities, her compact and widespread hierarchical organization, attract universal attention. Whether the observers be friends or foes, she cannot be and is not ignored. She is a huge fact in the life of the republic. Her present homogeneity is remarkable if we consider the various sources whence she sprang and the various elements of which she is composed."

"The African Christian family is the fundamental unit of the Church and its source of dynamism, joy and hope. However, it is beset with innumerable problems."

"Although South Africa is only 9% Catholic, of the 440 members of Parliament, 22% are Catholic. However, and this is an important point, the Office liaises with, does research for and informs ALL Parliamentarians irrespective of their religious or political backgrounds. We have a number of full-time researchers who do in-depth research on all aspects of legislation coming before Parliament. We do this from a Gospel-based value system, drawing heavily from Catholic Social Teaching. Parliamentarians have neither the resources nor the time to do their own in-depth research on any given subject. Therefore these research papers are very much appreciated by many."

"At sea the most insignificant events seem to amuse everybody, and become the topic of the day."

"The finalities of the entire work of evangelization and catechesis in Mozambique are the education and the formation to faith by the adult Christian, which means to put him in the condition of being able to translate and live faith in the living witness of charity, in the joy of hope, in the humble, generous and free service unto communion and for the unity for the grace and for peace in the Church and in society."

"Secularization began with increasing prosperity. Prosperity leads to individualization, and individualization to secularization. In the Netherlands, this happened when prosperity increased at an unprecedented rate, [starting in 1965]."

"The State is making more and more decisions about fundamental rights. It is now the State that replaces God, e.g. in the legalization and widespread use of abortion."

"The former elements of the Catholic population, Irish, French and German, must for permanency rely on their own fecundity. There are a reasonable number of conversions annually, but a new immigration of Poles, Italians, Hungarians, Greeks, Maronites, and others, largely threatens to modify the Catholic body."

"Having been inured for many years to the labors of a missionary life, we feel ready, in spite of our advanced age, to share with you all the hardships' of the ministry. We are ambitious of no distinction. We expect to find in each of you a friend."

"Because there are cardinals who plead for the blessing of homosexual relationships, I referred to this paragraph of the Catechism [number 675] as a warning. It states that shortly before Apocalypse, voices will rise within the Church itself, and even among the highest authorities of the Church who will express divergent opinions in relation to Catholic doctrine. I did this as a warning: let us be careful not to find in this situation. I must say that, to my surprise, Cardinal Müller took up this idea: on February 9 of this year, he published a statement of the fundamental elements of the Catholic faith, in which he also referred to number 675 (2). It is also remarkable that my interview and the full quotations were also taken up by bishop Gänswein during the presentation of a book by Rod Dreher, The Benedict Option."

"His episcopal career, which promised to be one of great usefulness to the Church, was cut short by his untimely death."

"The truth telling process in a therapeutic one, we believe that special memorials must be constructed at the approaches to our major cities to serve as remembrance for all those who lost their lives during this national horror."

"Reproof was unheeded by the bishop, who displayed anything but a forgiving spirit, especially in the prosecutions instituted against those prebendaries of his church who had been rather eager to recognize the jueces conservadores and declare his see vacant."

"He was universally beloved by his people and the clergy."

"The rule of Torres y Rueda was brief and eventless."

"The bishop succeeded in driving out of the state the opponents of his theocratic ideas, and in bringing about a change in the government; in fact, everything had been conceded him, and his influence was paramount. And yet he was not satisfied. He would have the Salvadorans believe him a deity, but they arrived at the conclusion that by a great fatality their first bishop had turned out to be a pernicious revolutionist."

"The good Catholics here are the best in the world. But the liberals exceed in wickedness & heresy."

"Radical feminists in the ’60s said: “Well, you know, now we have contraception and we can use it in order to redeem, so to say, women of the tyranny of maternity, of having children, of bearing children.” But you know, they did not limit it to motherhood and female biology, they extended it to all biological sexes. So they say, well, “We have now the means to liberate people from their biological sex and to give them the gender they like. They can choose whatever they like, because there is no, or only a pretty remote connection, between gender, your social role and your biological sex.”"

"(About the Council of Trent) Roman Catholic Church’s ability to purify itself [with the] guidance of the Holy Spirit. When all the decrees (of the Council) were implemented, order was restored to the Church."

"A country that does not love, does not pay attention to its children most in need, is like a family where both the father and mother are not interested in their children."

"I believe the punishment ought to be left to the officers of the law, and the law ought to be executed promptly and impartially. Lynching is savage and barbarous, especially when it assumes the inhuman and sickening form of burning at the stake. The remedy is worse than the disease. As it hardly ever, if ever, happens that a Catholic negro is involved in these outrages, I believe the best remedy of all would be to bring the negro under the rule and influence of the Catholic Church."

"Bishop McFarland displayed rare wisdom in the administration of his see. His zeal and self-sacrifice carried him everywhere, preaching, catechizing, lecturing, moving among priests and people as a saint and scholar. He was a man of fine intellect and commanding presence. Austere and thoughtful, he always preserved a quiet dignity and the humility of the true servant of Christ."

"The only merit which I can at all lay claim to is that while with you I had a sincere desire to see you and your families advance in virtue, and that, from day to day, as the occasion arose, I was willing to labor with you, in my own poor way, for the advancement of your congregation in religion, in knowledge, and in the doing of works of charity."

"I want to be a good religious so I can be a good missionary tomorrow."

"I saw the diocese grow thanks to the tireless efforts of Bishop Alessandro Assolari. It was difficult at the beginning."

"The four years of his episcopacy were years of foresight, zeal, and energy, fraught with lasting blessings for the Diocese of Chicago."

"Can any alms be better bestowed than those which are given to have the poor relieved, the sick visited, the afflicted and sorrowing, soothed and consoled, the ignorant instructed, and the seeds of virtue planted in the youthful breast? Can any alms be more meritorious than those which tend to preserve the soul from eternal ruin?"

"Judas gave greater scandal than even the High Priests: his conduct was more painful to Christ and to his Apostles, and to the whole Church, than was that of Pilate, or of those who nailed the Savior to the cross. Wherefore, warn all, not only against secret societies, but also against all societies of Catholics whose rules or practices are not in harmony with the spirit of the Church."

"Bishop Baltes soon made himself felt by the indomitable energy with which he introduced order and uniformity in matters of liturgy and discipline."

"Healy died 5 August, 1900, respected and beloved by priests and people, as a scholar, a master of oratory, and a man of sanctity."

"The vocation to serve as a priest is a commitment that must be embraced with love and perseverance in the midst of challenges. Love, perseverance and humility are among the basic conditions for success in the priestly ministry. Anyone who is called to serve as a priest should be accompanied in a solid and spiritual journey and sustained in his formation, with the aim of obtaining a positive result in the Church."

"Theology and our own pastoral experience teach that the place of the saints is not "optative" in Christian life they reveal the concrete character of revelation; especially those closest to us in time and culture renew the revelation of God in history, giving flesh and blood to the Gospel."

"This happened just before the feast of Mary: we ask her for help. To her who is the help of Christians, we ask for the salvation of our faithful. Only she can come to our rescue. We also appeal to Pope Francis to pray for us and to ask the terrorists to release the hostages in the name of our common humanity. Violence and hatred lead only to destruction: we ask the faithful all over the world to pray together with us for peace."

"The kingdom of heaven consists of real, confident, and loving union with God, in the cleaving of our souls to Him and their rest in Him. We have to assert this fact and convince ourselves of it in the face of everything which threatens to trouble, oppress, or overwhelm us."

"Conversions from paganism progress slowly, but continuously. The native Catholics, now numbering rather more than one thousand, are well instructed and faithful to their religious duties."

"Faith is strengthened when it is given to others and Guadalajara needs to grow in the faith. The best present to give any person is to tell them about Jesus Christ."

"These are days of profound joy, fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit expressed in praise, proclamation of the Word through preachers, tools of God calling to conversion. The days include intense adoration of the Jesus present in the Eucharist. He walks among us today touching and healing hearts to grant health of body and spirit."

"The oldest Christian literature shows with great evidence that the first controversies among Christians were always decided by texts of the Old Testament, sayings of Our Lord, and the authority of the Apostles. This last ground was very important in the case of new questions on which there existed no explicit teaching of Christ. Therefore, it is easy to understand that the Apostolic Churches could not be lost sight of in such controversies."

"Of all the feelings, implanted in the heart of man, next to religion, there is none so strong as patriotism."

"Dr. Mullock always took a keen interest in the commercial development of Newfoundland, and was most enthusiastic about its natural resources."

"The widespread awakening of a critical rationalistic spirit, which has already questioned the feasibility of many caste observances, will eventually work harm to the claims of Hinduism itself. All this augurs well for the cause of truth."

"Inculturation: to adhere in its way to Jesus Christ, to respond in its way to Christ's love, in its style and with its own means, to translate the love of God in its life, in its acts. Also, it is the only way to understand what the Spirit says to the Churches in guarding well that this diversity does not bring to divergence."

"We give special attention to our young people. We are a young Church, our young people are enthusiastic but also inconstant. They are tempted by pictures coming from the West of a hedonist and consumerist culture and so their faith still weak, is tested. We are a new community which is growing slowly with the help of the Lord. We strive to bear witness to our faith in a mainly Muslim country with a social and cultural structure fragmented in different groups, but we continue to sow seeds of the Gospel in this vast country. We need the spiritual support of the universal Church, especially from the Churches of ancient Christian tradition. Remember us as we strive to be witnesses of the Good News here in central Asia."

"Most of them if not all, exist because of a great sense of mission to contribute in the formation of young minds, to give a prosperous future to the nation. Both the private and public sectors need to work together. Saving our schools is saving our children, and ensuring the future of our nation"