Cardinals

"Migrants expect orientation from the Church and a response to the great questions about Christian faith, human comfort and support capable of restoring hope and meaning to their lives. The missionary journey which we intend to undertake in this third millennium should be based on evangelization and the testimony of charity. Do not forget that Christian charity has a great evangelizing force in the measure in which it leaves the sign of God's love among men."

"In these years I was always involved in mediating, in seeking dialogue. Unfortunately we have sat down to dialogue only after there have already been so many deaths. At present also I am trying to encourage dialogue between the political interests to avoid the situation degenerating."

"We can activate people to love their country, family, and not go in search of adventure goodness knows where. This has to do with conscience. A person who loves his country, parents, environment, prefers to stay. I believe this is rather a problem of the state, which does not offer opportunities to so many young people after finishing their studies. And here there is truly a growing social injustice."

"Most of the young people who leave home do so not because home is unbearable, but because they are seeking a greener pasture, often with the naïve conviction that "no matter how, it will be better out there". They are deaf to any advice that they see as blocking their destiny. What is necessary is to work hard to make our nation a better place for us, and for anyone who may wish to come and live with us."

"Things must change: it is not a question of "repainting" the situation by saying that now one will adopt a system based on justice, but we must involve everyone in order to rebuild society from below. Although the situation is deplorable, we should not fold our arms, we cannot fall into the temptation of severe pessimism. Evil does not have the last word, we must always live in the founded hope that man, in spite of all that may sound bad, is not totally corrupt."

"It must strike us that, in the present time of an increasing presence of the elderly in our western society, as the demographers tell us, it is a man of over eighty who heads our Church and hence to perform in her and before the world this difficult and necessary task. This, too, must be seen and valued as a gift of Divine Providence."

"There exist the "fanatic" Muslims — to use a bad word — just as there are also fanatic Christians; they have terrible ideas, which I absolutely do not agree with. But we always say: This is the price to pay for religious freedom, to let everyone speak. But then it's up to us to work toward necessary moderation, having a nonpartial vision of what religion is, and to do our work."

"He was a Jesuit cardinal, persecuted by the regime, imprisoned, and sentenced to forced labor until he fell ill. When he came to Rome for the Jubilee of the Year 2000, he went to the catacombs and lit a candle for his persecutors, imploring mercy for them. This is the Gospel. It grows in life and in history through humble and patient love."

"How do we accept God's mercy, God's help? The Church's fellowship? The Church's aid? How do we help each other on this way? The key word is "inclusion": we are all included under sin, and we are all included under God's mercy. So, include people in difficulty, and help them."

"Today Slovakia is an independent nation. But it experienced two world wars and its people, especially its Christians – were the victims of one of fiercest Communist persecutions from 1948 to 1989 when the regime collapsed. Bishops, clergy and laity were imprisoned, religious orders suppressed, diocesan seminaries closed, and Catholic organisations and press banned. Those were years of barbarism and terror. In 1989 we found our freedom once again."

"One has the feeling that the transitional government has given a boost to its policy. There is a willingness to dialogue with different political parties and with the civil and religious bodies in the Country, to get out of the crisis as soon as possible."

"If the Church still has a glimmer of rationality, it must elect Pope Peter Parolin. It is the only way to restore its authority."

"Justice can only serve Truth: this is written on the palace of Justice in Bratislava. Courageous and honest Slovak men have fought throughout history for this justice. I do not ask for mercy: I simply appeal to the Truth, to the Law and to Justice. The injustices I have personally experienced can be forgotten. But I can never renounce Truth and Justice."

"+As quoted in Festival delle religioni: card. Parolin, «Fondamentalismo è sconfitta di fede e ragione», toscanaoggi.it (April 27, 2019)"

"It is not only its location on the edge of Europe that makes Eastern Europe important, but also its historical role in civilisation, culture and the Christian faith. Some point out that when St John Paul II imagined a Europe stretching from the Atlantic to the Urals, he was not thinking of ‘Western expansionism’, but of a more united whole encompassing the entire continent."

"Fundamentalism is always a sign of the desperation of reason and the defeat of faith."

"If military spending were used for other purposes, a fund could be set up to help millions of people who are dying for peace."

"We are representatives of the Holy Father, but this corresponds to dialogue with the Catholic Church,"

"There are many martyrs in Latin America because, starting from their choice to follow Jesus Christ, priests are willing to get their hands dirty and expose themselves in defence of the faithful entrusted to them and for the great values of justice and solidarity."

"During the past decades, the Holy See has been making all possible efforts to establish, strengthen or restore dialogue on the cultural and religious levels and in the social and humanitarian sphere. I'm absolutely convinced that life under the guidance of the Gospel would in itself make an important contribution into forming the society and culture, which simultaneously assists personal development and encourages an intense and constructive dialogue with other authentic cultures and religions."

"The Arab Spring was a complex phenomenon which, unfortunately, did not achieve the goals of greater democracy and social justice that seemed to be its driving forces. However, it is legitimate to ask how much the pursuit of particular economic and geopolitical interests contributed to this failure at the international community level."

"The norms whereby bishops are chosen are not divine law and hence are always perfectible. But direct involvement, as if elective, of the laity in the choice of a bishop today would be unimaginable."

"If the tsunami damaged communications, roads and bridges, the twenty year old conflict has broken human communication digging divides and gulfs between individuals, communities and ethnic groups. This is the greatest tragedy and Christians are called to build bridges of peace and reconciliation to be builders of bridges, or pontifex, following the example of Christ. He is the bridge between heaven and earth, between God and humanity; and with his message of service and love he is also a bridge between people of different origin, culture, language and customs."

"Our prayer today is a sign of vitality and communion in the Church. In a change of epoch, full of hardships and historical facts that have shocked us, we want to testify, as Benedict repeated several times at the beginning of his pontificate, that the Church is alive, she is alive because Christ is alive, he is truly risen."

"Q: What should be the priorities of the next pope? A: It will be important to continue along the two paths traced by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. The first concerns the presence of God in society. The relationship between man and God must once again become central. Imbalances arise when one of the two terms of the relationship is eliminated. It is no coincidence that John Paul II observed that a world without God would be against man. The second path concerns man in contemporary society: we need to understand who man is and work in such a way that the body, psyche and spirit – three essential dimensions – are not neglected."

"Building peace for tomorrow requires doing justice today."

"I recognise a mistake that has been made in recent years, and which continues today: political, economic, social, housing and employment decisions, if made on the basis of profit and personal gain, end up hurting the most vulnerable. You cannot pay people less and less and then be surprised that they have become impoverished."

"Augustine is a very African saint. He was a Berber, it seems - "Afer sum" he said of himself – as much as a Roman, and better yet, a European. Saint Augustine is a figure who brings us together: truly a catholic."

"The libertas Ecclesiae, the freedom that is intrinsic to it, is in any case stronger than any possible limitation that gets imposed on it, because it derives from the mandate of Christ and has the deep, immense breath of the Spirit: it is the freedom of that love that inhabits it – so old and always new – for man, who is the living image of God."

"Now it is our turn to be missionaries. We are committed to mission at home and abroad. In the first case our mission at home is to deepen the faith of the people. In the second case we are aware of the problems caused by secularisation in the west and many of our dioceses have sent priests to minister in Europe in a movement of fruitful sharing between Sister Churches in the dimension of the universality of the Catholic Church."

"We are the first pioneers of a future of which most men and women know nothing. This should fill every student with a deep Catholic awareness and a humble conviction of victory. Of course students must also become experts in precise methods of missionary pastoral. But methods are only a means and as such of secondary importance: the most important thing is the joy which comes from knowing God, from knowing what we believe this joy is our strength."

"What is my testimony, as a good Catholic? To see that, God chose a Latin American brother to look after His Church. The same Latin America that follows the Lord devoutly and now fixes its eyes on Europe, as once Europe reached out to the Americas. So we're not just proud of having a Latin American Pope: we're proud because we can say that Latin America is living more deeply the Catholic faith."

"We pastors encourage the faithful to discover all the beauty that receiving the sacrament of matrimony means. We're not going to find the strength for marriage in the media or on television, but in the grace of God which comes to us through the sacraments."

"The family is the heart of coexistence. The most profound experience of society that we all have is the family. If the family ceases to be the place of true love, love ceases to exist in the world and it is replaced by egoism. This is a catastrophe. The Church is taking very seriously the defense of the truth of the family, defending the truth of love exactly as Jesus manifested it."

"It is unthinkable that these conflicts are provoked only by local interests. Obscure powers aiming for the region's resources exploit ethnic frustrations and their corollary, poverty, to foment conflicts. They kindle ethnic hatred setting fire to powder kegs while standing in the shadows. Manipulation is a dreadful weapon."

"To accuse a Salesian of being a bit weak in his Marian piety is frankly a bit ridiculous. From when I was little I was brought up always to turn trustingly towards Our Lady of Help. And over the years, thanks be to God, that trust has never faded. That, however, doesn’t mean that one mustn't always respect the official position, as it is, of the Church on delicate questions such as those regarding real or alleged Marian apparitions."

"We bishops have urged the people to keep praying for the patients and for the medical staff fighting the disease and to provide all the necessary assistance. I want to express my deep appreciation for all that the doctors and nurses are doing even risking their own lives to help the patients recover. I would encourage Chinese Catholics to sustain the doctors and nurses with their prayers offering all the love and solidarity possible. I call on the whole human community to unite to overcome SARS."

"In relations with China the trouble is, if China wants an independent Church this will always be outside the universal Church and will also be an obstacle to relations with the Holy See. However we pray and we hope the future will be better."

"Today also, Christians must resort to this method: take the new paths to progress and preserve the treasures of the past. "Nova et Vetera" are the words that can harmonize modernity and tradition. For example, the principle of the distinction between the political and the religious spheres has become clearer in the minds of believers today. That is now a value acquired and recognized by the Church. It belongs therefore to the heritage of civilization that has been achieved today. This principle of secularity entails respect for every religion by the State, but it certainly doesn’t absolve the State from heeding the religious needs of its citizens."

"Journalist: Christians in the Holy Land are committed to justice and peace through evangelical non-violence. What are the main obstacles they encounter in this process? Cardinal Sandri: Perhaps they are tempted to lose the virtue of patience. The certainties of faith are severely tested by the time it takes for divine promises to be fulfilled. Then there is the temptation to forget what the Lord clearly said: ‘My ways are not your ways!’. Our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land are waiting to be comforted by God's fatherly hand in their trials, and perhaps the wait may seem fruitless. Good Friday is their day because on that day Christ's patience reaches its peak and merges with the infinite love that washes away sins and gathers all innocent tears in the redemption of the Cross. Perhaps they find it hard to believe that God's way is victorious, the way of meek steadfastness, which never, ever claims the right to shed blood, not even that of the enemy. The Cross we adore on Good Friday assures us that the Gospel is the most fruitful path to life and justice. Even from a human point of view, we must recognise that only by breaking the cycle of violence can we finally usher in lasting peace."

"Journalist: First of all, Your Eminence, which Saints do you have a devotion to? Cardinal Sandri: Obviously, my first devotion after Jesus Christ is His Mother, the Virgin Mary but I would like to answer this question because I was born in Argentina, and in Argentina we celebrate the birthday more than the name day, and my name of baptism is Leonardo."

"We all remember the journey towards the Great Jubilee of 2000, dedicated to the fundamental stages of the history of salvation and the Trinitarian mystery, with the Year of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then that pilgrimage to Iraq in the footsteps of Abraham, which was the first of all those that would follow later. We recall that among the pilgrimages linked to the Jubilee event there were also those linked to the figure of the Apostle Paul, which took John Paul II to Syria and also to Greece and Malta. However, his having to give up the journey to Iraq was certainly something that caused him great suffering. However, deep down we can say that his acceptance of that cancellation was already an interior pilgrimage. At Ur, in Iraq, Abraham was called to leave his land and his certainties, and was even asked to be willing to sacrifice his son for the covenant with the Lord. Saint John Paul II, who so wanted to visit that land, lived deep down Abraham’s same feelings in giving up this pilgrimage and in the sacrifice of having to accept that situation."

"Interviewer: What is involved in assisting the local realities of the Churches outside of the places in which they originated? Cardinal Sandri: It is a feature of the care for the Oriental Churches expressed by the Popes who, however, no longer exercized the role as Prefect of the Congregation, continue to exercise their special care for the Eastern faithful through the Dicastery. The very fact that in predominantly Latin territories - as for example in Europe and the United States - Popes have chosen to institute eparchies or exarchates for the care of the Eastern Catholic faithful speaks of the importance and profound respect for their identity and tradition. Where they go in the world creating structured communities of a certain size, the Apostolic See recognizes the possibility of continuing to govern themselves according to their own tradition, their liturgical, disciplinary, spiritual distinctiveness, providing for the appointment of Bishops and the foundation of eparchies and provinces so that they can continue to live their belonging to the Lord in the Catholic Church through that unique expression of their Church of origin."

"We have no words. We don't have missiles, we don't have guns, we don't have tanks, we don't have the force of violence that wants to impose itself at any price. We have the strength of humility of those who receive the contempt of the world and of the powerful of the earth. Our only weapon - in the face of so much shame for humanity and so much suffering is what we have done today: to pray."

"Cardinal Sandri: At one point, John Paul II was unable to speak because he had undergone a tracheotomy. A speech therapist was called in to help the Pontiff practise, as he had to learn how to use his voice and articulate words again. Journalist: The image of John Paul II trying to speak at the Angelus on 30 March 2005 and not being able to do so remains etched in the collective memory... Cardinal Sandri: He had done his exercises, rehearsed the text, and when he appeared at the window, perhaps due to emotion, his voice failed him, and this caused him great suffering. But all this was ultimately the result of Parkinson's, a degenerative disease that had made it increasingly difficult for him to speak and could only get worse."

"Jesus told us not to hate those who think differently from us or do us harm. We must persevere, faithful to our faith and await the moment when "truth will set us free", as the Gospel says. It is not the best moment for Veracruz but we Christians must try to build a state that smiles, even with the resources that come from ancient civilizations."

"Archbishop Emeritus, appointed Cardinal, Sergio Obeso Rivera: " We must persevere in our faith as the Gospel says" (23 May 2018) Fides News Agency"

"It becomes a great concern to a country if a high number of its young people, or of its professionals like graduates or medical personnel, want to go to another country. If many Young Africans migrate to Europe or America, who will guarantee them proper employment, choice of a marriage partner, and future life? Are these young people not among those most needed to develop their country? Should Europe and America not be helping the leaders of African countries to motivate their citizens to stay at home and develop their nation?"

"If you don't understand a person's religion, you haven't even begun. And if you are not able to listen, you are only able to talk, then you are still on your own. You are lecturing everybody who comes near you, but you are not dialoguing with anyone. There are some desires of the human soul which that other person is looking for. There are, maybe, mistakes in the way that religion is looking for those things. But the human heart, created by God, is looking for Him."

"The message of the Gospel continues to be a novelty in our times and has the ability to respond to all the problems of today's society, since it can adapt to the circumstances of time and place as long as people do not allow themselves to be suffocated by material goods."