franciscans

"Many elements of the African culture are falling, following the, impact with so-called advanced modernity. They will continue to be unconfoundable elements of the African soul which will remain, and will be the basis for encounter with faith in Christ."

"We claim a space among the people of God and not one of us can be left out. We must first acknowledge that we belong here, that this is our rightful place. God desires us to be here. God desires you and me to recognize our sacred calling as His children, and to give witness."

"The diocese's promise is enormous, and with God's help, and that of Catholics in places such as Australia, I will continue to bring this promise to fruition."

"We must strive to be a Church capable of listening to the religious expressions of the communities, of welcoming the religious richness of the rituals of the people, of offering opportunities for commissioning ministries, of perceiving the presence of God in the way of living in harmony with everything and everyone."

"We need to be careful and instead of looking for justifications not to become involved we need to ask ourselves: "what is the Lord asking me to do in this situation?" And then simply, obey."

"Closeness makes sharing possible for authorities with our people, particularly the most vulnerable. Listening allows us to discover how people live, want and expect; and not exactly just what we like to hear. Service is the guiding principle of every project and social, political or economic program."

"In a country that is still being plagued by civil unrest and where the government is weak, the Catholic Church has a great moral authority due to its social commitment, especially in the sectors of healthcare and education."

"The church is not against any group, but we do believe that the poor have legitimate rights that must be respected within the framework of the law."

"A Franciscan, he reflected the deep faith and true Christian charity of St. Francis. We will all miss his kindness and support."

"Scripture is not seen as primarily a written norm, but rather a consecration of the History of Salvation under the species of the human word. The content and unity of Scripture does not refer to the books of the Scriptures themselves but to the reality to which these books give testimony and witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ."

"Bishops' Conferences must create space for us to discern evangelization in our spiritual and pastoral lives. As father and brother we bishops must travel closely with our priests evaluating their parish apostolates and keeping before them the light of Evangelization. We must welcome the new movement but continue with them to keep the vision of the diocese within the contours of their charisms."

"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."

"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."

"As pertaining to the Church's public charity, we must underline the following: in the relations of the Catholic Church with the States and with the European Union we believe that one must certainly overcome confessionalism as well as hostile laicism. The prospect of healthy laity must become ours, which involves recognizing that society needs the contribution of religious professions to ensure its ethical-cultural foundations."

"Faith in Jesus Christ and the remembrance of our ancestors have given us, and continue to give us, the strength to endure the past and present, when others want to erase our memory by force."

"We cannot accommodate and continue allowing economic interests that seek exorbitant profits before the well-being of people, to destroy biodiversity and ecosystems, nor continue dictating our energy model based on fossil fuels. We know that Brazil has abundant resources of clean and renewable energy that do no harm to our common home. Therefore, I believe that the proposal to turn the Diocese of Umuarama into low-carbon is a practical way to achieve what Laudato si' calls for."

"Today's world calls for new attitudes, new ways of life - more responsible, aware, and egalitarian. We need more communion and more dialogue. By affecting us regardless of political, territorial, racial, ethnic and religious boundaries, climate change unites the world through shared suffering. In order to fight it, we need to keep united and to transform this union into an action that is collective, global, and shared, involving all strata of society all around the world."

"The process towards worldliness, in great part fruit of urban, modern, and post-modern culture, which afflicts the family today, profoundly weakens fundamental family values, as, with respect to life, matrimonial indissolubility, conjugal fidelity, and religious education of children."

"Here in Utah all the community – Anglos, Hispanics and others alike – are together celebrating and participating as one whole community. When you get over the language barrier and take away the shame and you are not afraid, all the divisions get erased. I recognize all the contributions that they make to our Universal Church in their local churches, and for that I am also thankful. Now here in Utah and then when I am in El Salvador, I will continue saying "Animo" – you are doing good."

"Perhaps the Lord chose me because I am one of the few who is respected by both sides. Perhaps I can help pacify the two sides. It is not a mission that is only mine, but a Franciscan mission."

"The beginning and the end of life are fundamental moments of life itself, the more man assumes to place the beginning and the end under an interest-driven feasibility, the more he also weakens the time of life that runs between these two moments."

"The pandemic has certainly brought more poverty. There are people who have lost not only their loved ones, but have lost work (and) closed business. One has to confront this situation. Certainly it's a call for governments and the church."

"When you meet God it's like finding a treasure, you bet everything. How much we have changed in our lives because of our faith and our faith makes us bet everything"

"There are essential elements which no activism must take away from religious life in a local Church. Although expressing itself according to different models and according to charisma, fraternal life is an essential component of consecrated life. Encourage communities to be an evangelical sign in the various environments, especially for the young and offer the local Church wealth of universality."

"The Catholic community is not very big and in this rests its charm."

"To build peace all the causes of discord among men, which generate wars must disappear; especially injustice."

"When the rights of God are trampled with impunity, the rights of man are in danger."

"I try to teach serenity and inner peace. It is important not to hate, not to hold grudges. Forgiveness breeds forgiveness and that is the only remedy, even in a situation where the air is polluted with hatred, as is the case in our Argentina. There are many divisions in society, but also in the Church, and we need to change. Conversion has only one name: the person of Jesus. The relationship with Jesus is what is fundamental, more than "religion", more than the content of catechesis."

"The starting point for new evangelization must be the return to the sources, re-discovering the heredity of the peoples and the Nation, with a special effort in reinforcing the ethical and moral values in society, compromised by the prior totalitarianism and the new violence of war."

"The invited one felt something stronger than himself, stronger than his childhood and youthful dreams, plans and ideals. It's usually a barely noticeable whisper. You need to listen to it well, strain your attention, if you want to hear it. God's voice is never a command. It is a call for free radical choice. By calling, God guarantees his presence as a friendly force and support in temptations, the courage that the called one can give testimony of Him."

"In their search for happiness, they've discovered that it is found in an intense and fascinating relationship with Jesus, in giving of themselves to help others to get to know Him."

"Preserve this cultural wealth so that it will not be gradually eradicated by modern culture."

"I would dare to say that the Holy Land is the place where Christian communities are closest to unity. I would say that in the Holy Land we speak less about the theory of ecumenism and instead practice unity much more."

"Thankfully there is no deep lying hatred among the people but the problem is that many former soldiers, used to earning their living by fighting, have turned into bandits and they harass the people. In this context the Church continues her work of evangelisation and human promotion, aware that hearts and minds cannot be changed immediately but only with patience and time."

"I ask ACN to do everything in its power to enable the Biblia Sagrada Africana to be brought to Mozambique. I personally find this project very opportune, as it will allow us to have access to the Word of God, which we need very much, especially in the reflections and catechesis that we usually carry out in the 47 parishes of the Archdiocese of Maputo."

"Peace brought to us by Christ is the attitude of all those who practice the laws of justice and love, established by God for harmony in creation. The Church must make an appeal to Africa, to have a pure conscience to work honestly towards the common good. The Church must also be the voice of those who have no say, to courageously denounce all those plans that make men slaves. We must make an effort to create internal and external peace and maintain it, fruit of victory and self-discipline."

"We Bishops also need formation. We studied for the priesthood in the seminary and we had teachers who accompanied our journey of formation. When we are appointed Bishops our task becomes more difficult, there is more responsibility, there are more problems."

"I think people are looking for something, as they always have, to hold to something that has roots, that has tradition, that has meaning, that has depth. And I think the Catholic Church continues to offer that despite her imperfections."

"It will be our duty to promote interfaith peace and harmony so that reconciliation prevails in Pakistan and the world. We have to educate young people to be ambassadors of peace."

"The family is the first place where one learns to love, where we experience and practice mutual love. Blessed are those parents who teach their children respect and love for others, who avoid hatred and educate them to show love and care for others."

"The Islamic-Christian dialogue in Pakistan in the form of a dialogue of life: we develop brotherly relations, we go to each others parties, we are close in painful events and in the experience of solidarity"

"We have lost a wonderful priest and friar, who humbly served in his community, and also reached people of other faiths with the Christian message of peace and love. A priest who was known, appreciated and loved not only among Christians, but also among faithful of other religions. He was full of ideas, always very creative in building bridges among people of different faiths. He was in communion and in excellent relationship with people of other faith, and he always worked to spread the message of peace and love, in the name of Christ, in all corners of the Country."

"It is not always possible to recover one's health. However, it is possible to give comfort to the sick and help of the divine grace. Sometimes this is what they mostly need, and this is the role of pastoral care. Anointing the sick, which must be administered by the right person must be a pastoral need on the part of the Church towards its suffering members"

"In Angola a country of many ethnic groups, languages, parties, churches and sects there is need of unity, fatherland, nationality."

"Despite the profoundly personal nature of the experience in the Holy Land, the pilgrimage itself unites all believers with the Churches of Jerusalem. It unites them in Christ, in faith and in their contribution to preserving the precious Christian legacy in this land. This is the grace of the Holy Places."

"We religious are decisively called upon to place Christ in the center of our life; and this entails having the courage to bear witness to this openly. We must not be afraid of saying that for Him and for Him only that we have chosen to embrace religious life and live mutual dependence in fraternity. We are invited to say that from Him we receive our reward for all of our renunciations and the best part has yet to come."

"The causes of the serious status of human life in Colombia, America and the world are based on the following factors, in this order: 1) human and Christian ignorance on the part of individuals, families and communities; 2) more and more individuals and entire groups who turn away from the Lord; 3) indifference to the Lord and His Plan of Salvation from the religious and moral viewpoint, with many people and communities turning simply to natural, legal and civil ethical norms."

"Children are all important in Papua New Guinea's culture. Special care is given to their education in customs to ensure that tradition is handed down from one generation to the next. Since Christmas celebrates the birth of the Child, it fits well into the PNG mindset. For all our children the Child Jesus is a model and a friend."

"To the faithful of the Mentawai Islands, I say: this is a disaster that has devastated your lives, but do not be discouraged! Now is not the time to ask ourselves how and why, but we extend our heart and hands to God, with faith and prayer. Do not be afraid, but be ready to hope that the Lord and our brothers are close to you in your suffering."

"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."