Catholics From Italy

"The beatitudes firmly root those who hear them in the present, while at the same time opening them to a future of hope. They are addressed to people who are in difficult human conditions, experiencing trials and contradictions: it is in this state that they discover that they are the recipients of God's action, which is already today an occasion for happiness."

"In order that universalism does not degenerate into totalitarianism, it must be conceived as a universal need for the other and expressed as a vocation to exile, to diaspora, to dispersion among peoples and cultures: the Christian faith cannot coincide with a culture or an ethnicity or a system of thought. It is transcultural and must therefore be accompanied by a work of deculturation so as not to risk passing off as gospel what is cultural form. (III, 2)"

"Jesus, our bliss, teaches us a path to happiness, opening up before us every day the ways to happiness that every human being longs for."

"My childhood prayer is one I would never say today: God knows how many candles I lit before an exam or a test at school. It was a spontaneous, sincere way of praying, but today I practise other forms of prayer."

"When political forces generously offer legal protection or financial support to churches, they are actually working for their own benefit. (I, 1)"

"Our society is increasingly pluralistic in terms of religion, morals and customs: Christianity must live and find its place in it without hostility or creating enemies. (I, 2)"

"The experience of faith is an experience of beauty, of an encounter that is as real as it is indescribable, of a presence that is more intimate to us than our own innermost being. And it is an experience that also involves the body and the senses. In the East, the saint is the man with the luminous face, whose body exudes perfume, whose physicality is now an event of beauty and communion. Of course, it would be wrong to confuse the psychological and emotional with the spiritual, but the spiritual traverses the psychic and involves the senses of the body."

"For us Christians, rituals are not enough; we need adherence of the heart and intellect. It is not enough to repeat formulas whose meaning is unknown: those who pray must understand what they are saying, and in this sense the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council was fundamental for a more thoughtful faith, one that is not merely devotion."

"The Gospel, in fact, inspires the historical action of Christians, but it is in history itself that it becomes understandable. The ethos is not given once and for all, it is not handed down from above or contained in books, but is constantly elaborated in history, in the journey made alongside and together with other people. (I, 5)"

"Not technical solutions, not political recipes, but the voice of pastors will be all the more authoritative the more it is capable of being the voice of the Gospel and not of technical responses to the implementation of Gospel demands. (II, 4)"

"Hans Urs von Balthasar was a multifaceted and unique personality, probably a man greater than the times in which he lived: musician, Germanist, man of letters, philosopher, theologian, publisher, translator, spiritual master, lecturer, he was the author of a vast theological output in which he engaged in dialogue with the cultural heritage of the West."

"The Orthodox – Eastern Christians separated from Rome – are so called precisely because they emphasised the primacy of the true faith as a condition of the true Church. Otherwise, the Church ceases to be the pillar and foundation of truth. Consequently, those who do not defend the true faith fall from every ecclesiastical office, patriarchal, eparchial, etc."

"Interviewer: In the case of heresy, just as a heretical Christian ceases to be a member of the Church, does the pope also cease to be pope and head of the ecclesial body, and lose all jurisdiction? Mgr. Bux: Yes, heresy undermines faith and membership in the Church, which are the root and foundation of jurisdiction. This is the thinking of the Church Fathers, especially of Cyprian, who had to deal with Novatian, antipope during the pontificate of Pope Cornelius (cf. “'Lib. 4, ep. 2”'). Every believer, including the pope, separates himself from the unity of the Church through heresy. It is well known that the pope is at the same time a member and part of the Church, because the hierarchy is within and not above the Church, as stated in Lumen Gentium (n. 18)."

"The authentic unity of the Church is achieved in truth. The Church was established by its Founder – He who said, ‘I am the truth’ – as ‘the pillar and foundation of truth’ (1 Tim 3:15)."

"Interviewer: If there is no confrontation? Mgr. Bux: I fear that apostasy will deepen and the schism will widen. [...] The definition of “anti-evangelical” in relation to the death penalty: this definition was made, in a questionable manner, by changing an article of the Catechism of the Catholic Church according to a decidedly historicist view, and it raises a number of problems."

"(Regarding Summorum Pontificum for Holy Mass and the liturgy in Latin) What person of common sense would think that following traditional cuisine is contrary to innovative cuisine? Yet ideology is such that it denies reality: many young people and adults are rediscovering the faith (often discovering their vocation) by participating in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite. This evidence is denied: it is always ideology. Anyone who wanted to annul the motu proprio would find themselves facing a great movement of resistance, an antagonistic Church, a growing and irrepressible reality, for the simple fact that it experiences the reform of the liturgy as a rebirth of the sacred in hearts, not as a spasmodic search for novelty drawn from current fashions."

"St. Basil in his “'Moralia”' opens with a strong recommendation to ‘those who believe in the Lord’ to do penance. He states that those who do not comply with this fundamental duty will suffer a more severe punishment than those who lived before the proclamation of the Gospel: he is convinced that the transition from the Old to the New Covenant entails an increase in responsibility for those who profess to be Christians."

"The Church is worldly when it follows the fashions of thought and action of the world in various areas of human life, rather than orienting the world toward eternal realities. What is worldliness, after all, if not conforming to the mentality of the present age?"

"Is it not clearly visible the succession of words and actions of priests who contradict other priests, of lay people who oppose other lay people, encouraged by the division among bishops on what constitutes the Catholic faith and morality? For a growing number of Catholics, the magisterium is no longer a sign of unity: it is well known, in fact, that one cannot invoke magisterial authority unless one first adheres to Catholic truth."

"God had spoken many times and in many ways... finally, He spoke through His Son Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, who is the only one through whom man can be saved. The Church must return to celebrating the Holy Sacrifice, not a festive dinner, in order to have the authority to admonish man to make sacrifices. The world is an altar on which the sacrifice of Christ is offered every day, to which are added the sufferings of many, especially the innocent. The antidote to moral collapse is sacrifice."

"The Church is not just any people, but the people gathered from the four winds, those who recognise God as Father, confess the Son Jesus Christ, and have been baptised in the Holy Spirit. That is why it is called the ‘people of God’. The Church must be concerned above all with souls, inviting them to conversion in view of eternal salvation. This is the work of Redemption."

"Interviewer: Better atheists than Christians who hate? Mgr. Bux: I believe that the problem arises when the Pope strays from the script prepared for him and looks up at the audience. My feeling is that certain statements, in addition to a certain self-satisfaction, stem from the annoyance he feels towards the Church. Pope Francis prefers a vision of the Church as an indistinct people rather than one understood in the true sense. He does not realise, however, that he is slipping into a contradictory and Peronist vision, a schizophrenia that clashes with the very idea of mercy that is so widespread and followed. [...] Certain assertions, if they fall on weak or uninformed groups, are dangerous and have deleterious effects. We risk emptying the churches even more."

"In the Church, except for the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing is irreversible, because it is ‘semper reformanda’ (always reforming). This allows us to proceed with zeal and without fear of obstacles."

"Can the Pope propagate his private ideas over those of perennial Catholic truth? No. He is not a private doctor, and it is unthinkable to modify at will or give versions that clash with Catholic doctrine and the deposit of faith, which is not a museum, and even here there would be much to say."

"The first task that must arise from the moral upheavals of our time is to begin again to live for God, turning to Him and in obedience to Him. From this springs love for our neighbour who, as St Thomas teaches, is our neighbour: for an Italian, this is first and foremost the poor Italian. Otherwise, one gives the impression of being involved in politics."

"In a de-Christianised world, without Jesus, without God, it is useless to defend “values”, as they derive from the encounter with Christ. Dostoevsky said that if God does not exist, everything is permissible. There is no ethics without ontology, there are no values without Christ – they would be like Christmas decorations without a tree – and today, said Don Giussani, “the Church is ashamed of Christ”."

"Bishops should...know the social doctrine of the Church and teach it correctly. Another teaching is also to teach the contents clearly and also to hierarchise them. Developing democracy in Europe is less important than defending life and the family. The truth about God, man and the world is the non-negotiable principle of order and social good. This is our way of knowing, loving and serving God."

"The commandant, the archbishop, and his clergy, were singled out for the most horrible of all deaths, and sawn asunder. Need it be added, that they who revelled in cruelties so truly diabolical, spared not the altars of God, or the images of the saints, or aught that was holy and venerable."

"Salvatierra's memory needs no panegyric. His deeds speak for themselves; and in the light of these, the bitterest enemies of his religion or of his order cannot deny the beauty of his character and the disinterestedness of his devotion to California."

"It has never been permitted, nor will it ever be permitted, for a particular synod to be convened to judge a general council. **from the letter Relegentes autem, 447."

"Heinrich Denzinger, Enchiridion Symbolorum, bilingual edition edited by Peter Hünermann, Italian version edited by Angelo Lanzoni and Giovanni Zaccherini, Edb, 2001."

"Among these [councils] I wish above all to follow and imitate the one whom we know to have been the author of the Council of Chalcedon, and who, in accordance with his name, clearly showed himself to be a member of that lion [Pope Leo I] who came forth from the tribe of Judah, with his lively zeal and faith. (from the encyclical letter Vas electionis, 444)"

"Leo I approached the Vandal [Genseric] with the same composure and majesty with which he had approached Attila a few years earlier. His mediation was not as successful, but once again he managed to avoid the worst."

"Among these [coubcils], I wish above all to follow and imitate the one whom we know to have been the author of the Council of Chalcedon, and who, in accordance with his name, clearly showed himself to be a member of that lion [Pope Leo I] who came forth from the tribe of Judah, with his lively solicitude and faith."

"Because Satan knows that he seduced the first man through a woman and led all human beings away from the bliss of paradise thanks to the credulity of women, he continues to pursue your sex with even greater cunning."

"Saint Leo the Great (like other Fathers of the Church) goes so far as to call the two holy Apostles, with a wonderful image, the eyes of the mystical body, of which Christ is the head (Serm. LXXXII, chap. 7 – Migne, P. L., t. 54, col. 427). Bright and splendid eyes, paternal and merciful eyes, kind and watchful eyes, eyes that follow our spiritual journey, eyes that look down to encourage and animate, and up to intercede and implore grace for those who are still weary from the dangerous and harsh storm of life."

"The pope, by virtue of his primacy of jurisdiction, has the right to send legates to provide for the unity of Faith and for ecclesiastical discipline, and to choose them at will. Though self-evident, this authority of the pope has been contested from a very early period."

"The Ireland of to-day feels acutely that the springs of her greatness lie in the past, and that by restoring ancestral traditions, blending them naturally with existing social forms, and by drawing strength and dignity from the memories of pre-Christian and medieval Ireland, before the Anglo-Norman had deformed and strangled her, she may yet discover her true self, and start life afresh."

"The first gift that the Pope has given us and it is one that is visible on the faces of Angolans. From there, we can find the strength to continue on our mission of announcing the Gospel with a renewed spirit, in communion with the Holy Father."

"I celebrated Mass according to the new liturgical directives of 1965, but never according to the definitive ones of 1968, which bear the signature of Monsignor Bugnini. [...] The Faith is the teaching of the Church throughout the centuries, in accordance with the teaching of the Apostles. [...] I give you another definition, that contained in the anti-modernist oath of St. Pius X: the submission of the intellect and will to the Revelation of God, because God is the supreme authority and cannot err. Interviwer: And do you really think that Paul VI and John Paul II substantially changed this fundamental core of the Faith? Mgr. Lefebvre: I think they give another definition of the Faith. For them, Faith is a religious sentiment, an interior, subjective act. [...] The conscience is made to obey Revelation, not for itself. The problem is that for the last popes—speaking in Christian terms— the “subject” comes before the “object.” Whereas for the Tradition of the Church, the exact opposite is true: the object precedes the subject."

"[...] the path opened up by the Second Vatican Council is destined to radically change the face of traditional liturgical assemblies, in which, according to centuries-old custom, the liturgical service is performed almost exclusively by the clergy, and the people too often “attend” as silent spectators. Patient work of education will be needed to make people understand that the liturgy is the action of the whole people of God. The consequence will not only be liturgical, but will also have a beneficial influence on the development of the sense of the Church and the emergence of various ministries at the service of the community."

"(Referring to the Novus Ordo Missae) In some respects, it is truly a new creation, given that the image of the liturgy presented by the Second Vatican Council is completely different from that which the Catholic Church has had until now."

"I struggle to bear the constant "SISTER"...; I was very keen on the lay character of our group because it is LAY, even if consecrated to God: it is my personal vocation."

"(About illegal immigration) We cannot accept that in 2025 there will still be human waste. They are all brothers and sisters who deserve welcome, respect and dignity."

"[With regard to the vote on Pius XII's Salus Populi Romani and the liberation of Rome from Nazi-Fascist oppression (4 June 1944)] The vote was not only the expression of an imminent need in the face of fear, but it should also involve an act of constant conversion. [...] It is a real commitment. The Roman people, says the prelate, have a great devotion to the Virgin, but this devotion needs to be translated into concrete gestures, because otherwise there is a risk of separating religious devotion from daily practice. Faith and works must always go hand in hand."

"According to recent research (March 2025) carried out by Sapienza University of Rome and promoted by the Mayor of Rome, Prof. Roberto Gualtieri, and the City Councillor for Heritage and Housing Policy, Dr. Andrea Tobia Zevi, “An approximate total of around 114,000 households can therefore be estimated as being in a fragile housing situation in Rome and, therefore, overexposed to the risk of serious housing hardship.” This total includes “households in situations of serious emergency, identified as special populations: around 22,000 families”. All this in the presence of approximately 160-200,000 empty and unused private apartments! The problem is complex and has deep roots. It certainly does not help to note that in certain large suburban areas, there are reports of publicly owned dwellings that are uninhabited and awaiting allocation, These are easily exposed to possible squatting, often colluding with criminal activities in the area, such as drug dealing and prostitution. They are sometimes in poor condition, in need of structural renovation, or have many architectural barriers or non-functioning lifts, which isolate the many elderly people who live there alone and many disabled people. Meanwhile, “short-term” rentals are rampant, yielding much higher returns for landlords than “long-term” rentals, i.e. regular rental contracts, and are disrupting the social fabric of many neighbourhoods, not only in the centre. In July 2024, the Istat report indicated that in ten years, the resident population in the First Municipality had fallen by 38%, i.e. more than 20,000 people had moved elsewhere. Meanwhile, the number of short-term rentals on the web reached 35,000, including holiday homes and mini-apartments, without taking into account the irregular market."

"(Regarding the death of Pope Francis) In these days, Rome is a people mourning their bishop, a people together with other peoples who have lined up, finding a space among the places of the city to mourn and pray, like sheep without a shepherd. [...] Sheep without a shepherd: a metaphor that allows us to piece together the feelings of these days and to grasp the depth of the image we have received from the Gospel of John, the grain of wheat that must die to bear fruit. [...] A parable that tells of the shepherd's love for his flock."

"Q: In this sense, how should we interpret the Pope's decision to eliminate the central sector of the diocese? A: I would not speak of elimination, but I would start from Evangelii gaudium and from one of the principles most dear to Pope Francis in these 11 years: the Church that goes forth. If in this Church that goes forth we are not capable of reviewing the territorial organisation, it is not clear how we live this mission. The Pope's idea is that of greater interaction between the peripheries and the centre. The parishes in the centre cannot fail to feel the hardships of the peripheries, just as the peripheries cannot fail to participate in the beauty of the centre. So rather than eliminating the centre, I would say integrating the sectors of the diocese, including the centre."

"History shows that the more difficult it is to spread the faith, the stronger is the assistance of the Spirit who sends the Church new charismatic impulse."

"[Pope Francis has left] an immense legacy, placing the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the centre of the Church. [...] I read in his will that he offered all his sufferings to the Lord for peace. [...] [His successor] inherits a Church within which Pope Francis had initiated and opened up various processes, processes that deserve to be deepened and further accompanied. This was one of the pillars of Pope Francis' teaching: rather than occupying spaces, initiate processes. He initiated so many, and we hope that his successor will be able to accompany these processes for the missionary reform of the Church. [...] History teaches us that any prediction [about the duration of the conclave] is likely to be wrong because, in reality, it is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church; it is the Holy Spirit who guides the conclave. Therefore, the Holy Spirit will dictate the timing, and we entrust ourselves to Him."