Roman Catholic Archbishops

"O admirable desert, how right it is for the holy monks to live or desire to live near you and within you, for you are rich and fertile in all the good things of him in whom all things are held."

"Then our prowling adversary howls in vain, like a wolf in the sheepfold when the sheep are well guarded, as the vast expanse of the desert protects them like a strong wall."

"How pleasant is the solitude of a remote place to those who thirst for God! How attractive for those who seek Christ are those solitary lands stretching in every direction under protecting nature. All things are silent there, and the joyful mind is spurred on by silence in its search for God, finding nourishment in ineffable ecstasies. No sound is heard in the desert save the voice of God. Only that sound that is sweeter than silence, the holy activity of a moderate and holy way of life, breaks into the state of quiet peace, while only the sound of the desert outpost interrupts the silence."

"The desert holds them as in their mothers’ lap while they long for eternity, despising this brief life; indifferent to the present life, they are confident of the life to come. In this way, by hastening toward the world’s end, they manage to attain the world without end."

"Nowhere but in those solitary places in which it is easy to find God and never lose him again."

"In former times it was customary for illustrious men, after wearing themselves out in business affairs, to turn to philosophy as to their proper home. How much more fitting is it for people today to direct themselves to the study of the highest wisdom, and how wonderful for them to withdraw into the leisure of solitude and the solitary places of the desert! This enables them to be free for philosophy alone and to wander in the desert with more pleasure than athletes exercising in the gymnasium."

"Who can number adequately all the benefits of the desert and the advantages for virtue enjoyed by those who live there? Finding themselves placed in this world, they in a way go beyond this world. As the Apostle says, ‘They wander through desert places, in mountains and caves and in holes of the earth’. Quite correctly the Apostle says that the world is not worthy of such people, for they are alien to the confusion of human society; they are distant, quiet, silent, and free now both from sin and from inclination to sin."

"It is right for a holy man aflame with divine passion to leave his own home and choose the desert as his dwelling. It is right for him to sell all his goods and prefer the desert to father and mother and children. It is right to abandon the land of one’s birth and seek a provisional homeland in the desert, never to be called back by fear or longing or joy or sadness. Clearly this desert dwelling is worthy of total devotion."

"The cell in the desert truly deserves to be called the ark of strength, the seat of faith, the tabernacle of charity, the treasury of piety, the storehouse of justice. For just as in a home precious objects and valuables are kept in a hidden place behind locked doors, so also those magnificent gifts of desert sanctity are put away in a cell in some desert protected by natural inaccessibility, lest they decay because of exposure to worldliness. The desert is an ideal place for the Lord of all to preserve his precious ornament of sanctity, not only to store it there but to bring it out of its hiding place when it is needed."

"Scripture says that the Lord Jesus was accustomed to go into a desert place to pray. The desert may rightly be called a place of prayer, for God himself has approved it and taught by his example that it is appropriate for prayer. The prayer of a humble petitioner will more easily penetrate the clouds if it rises from the desert, because that solitary place gives it increased merit. The Lord Jesus, seeking that place for prayer, showed us where he prefers us to pray."

"Did not he also live in the desert who was greater than any man born of woman, he who was a voice crying in the desert? In the desert he instituted baptism, and in the desert he preached repentance. In the desert the Kingdom of Heaven was first heard of. In the desert he first commanded those mysteries to his listeners, because by going into the desert they could sooner merit them. It was highly fitting that this desert dweller, this angel sent before the face of the Lord, should open the way to the heavenly kingdom. He was both a precursor of Christ and a witness worthy to hear the Father speaking from heaven, to touch the Son as he baptized him, and to see the Holy Spirit descending."

"From the dwelling places in the desert, the road lies always open to our true homeland. Let those who desire “to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13; 116:9) take up their residence in an uninhabitable wasteland. Let those who strive to become citizens of Heaven be guests first of the desert."

"The story is told that someone once asked a wise man where he could be sure to find God. The wise man told his questioner to come along where he would lead him, and together they went into the solitude of the open desert. ‘Behold’, he said, ‘where God is’. God is more promptly believed to be there, since he is more easily found there."

"I would say that the desert deserves to be called a temple of our God without walls. Since it is clear that God dwells in silence, we must believe that he loves the solitary expanses of the desert. ... Although God is present everywhere, and regards the whole world as his domain, we may believe that his preferred place is the solitudes of heaven and of the desert."

"You show how strong in you is the love of solitary places, since the strongest human love must yield to it. What shall I call that love of the desert if not the love of God in you?"

"It's a cultural mentality that is causing divisions, hatred and the consolidation of ignorance. Families are being destroyed, and it's getting worse because children themselves are being accused of being witches."

"I can only say that I salute and welcome the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination. The realisation of a plural and multicultural world must be a priority in this 21st century."

"Humanly, left to ourselves, we are incapable of doing a divine work, our power comes from God and it is in prayer and faith that it finds its source."

"Why have accusations that were published and dismissed one year ago been published now, only 8 days before I present my resignation to Pope Francis, since I will have reached the age limit of 75? I will keep serving as long as the Holy Father wishes so."

"I believe that the religious have two main tasks. On the one hand, as Ezekiel says, to behave like sentinels, not spies: when there is a threat we must warn and try to solve the problem before it explodes, it is a very big responsibility and if there are so many problems it means that the sentinels did not carry out their job well. Then we must be intercessors and when there is hostility between two groups, families or people, we have to mediate in truth. It is also essential to always keep prayer alive for the Country and for the protagonists so that God converts the heart. Now, it can be said, that the heart of many is of stone, it is up to us to make it flesh. Religions here seek a common line to promote peace."

"No one is excluded from their proclamation that Jesus is Lord, that God loves all people, that all of us are sisters and brothers, beloved children of the one God, for God alone is able to feed the deepest hungers of the human heart."

"Money and the desperate quest for it, deeply affect every aspect of human life, mostly on a daily basis, and people should be aware of the prevalence of this dangerous trend that has also taken root among Indonesian Catholics. Indonesians, even Catholics, are easily influenced by money, position and social status. And this leads people to believe in values that are not based on our moral or cultural attitudes. This moral decadence is a very serious problem that we must face daily."

"One cannot expect the believers to deny one of the foundations of their faith, which is respect for every form of life, from conception to natural death. However, we cannot forget the commandment to love thy neighbour. It is the moral duty of a Christian to de-escalate conflicts, not fuel them."

"If we unwittingly accept the misleading propaganda of a dictatorship, we ourselves become links in the chain; we ourselves become part of tyranny. From that may the Holy Spirit save us – who alone can deliver the world and our beloved Europe from the ultra-liberal wild capitalist dictatorship, and may Christian Europe emerge from the thick layer of ashes where it still hides."

"Patriotism, or our love for our country, obliges us to mutual good will, solidarity, honesty and concern in building our common home."

"In trying to work for you, we might have failed to take good care of your souls as expected. We ask for your forgiveness in this Year of Mercy. We ask a bit a bit of amnesty from you. We should humbly acknowledge before God and his people the fact that in the history of our priesthood, the dark presence of sin is also found, so there is the need for us in this Year of Mercy to commit ourselves fully to the search for holiness."

"We have to also realise that celibacy itself is not an easy life and I think anyone who tells you it's an easy life, will not be truthful. Celibacy is not an easy life but is a life that is worth living with the grace of God."

"He knows what he wants, he's a good Jesuit, and the Jesuits know exactly what they want."

"We hope to gather the largest numbers of young people from the Central American region, and the American continent. And for those who cannot be physically present, we have worked to guarantee that they may follow the event through different platforms of communication. In the end we want young people to become more restless in their search for answers to their existential questions, so that they can define their life projects."

"We need to take care of our environment both for our own generation and for the generation to come. In connection with future generation it is important to note that rapid population growth can contribute to environmental deterioration. The Catholic Church, while holding every human life dear and sacred, has nevertheless for decades believed in and taught responsible parenthood. This teaching and the acceptable methods need to be propagated both for the promotion of individual persons and families and for the protection of environment."

"I don't know these so-called priests, and the Church should not be scared. Many such people have emerged in Uganda and gone. I advise Ugandans neither to follow nor listen to them because they intend to divide the church."

"Leadership without sound principles is, in my view, the main one. How shall we address this problem? I see no other way other than education. We should influence family and formal education to include basic democratic principles which we find in the Social Doctrine of the Church."

"We have always advocated for finding a political solution. We have always been against violence from whichever quarter it comes from. So I think, all political parties in the south should get together and offer a political solution paving the way for discussions with the LTTE and other Tamil leaders."

"Putting politics and emotion aside, the church's teaching on this matter is clear: We must pray for the well-being and enlightenment of our civic leaders, and we must pray for the salvation of the sick and dying — without exception, whether we like them or not. The reason we pray for those who do not believe is so that they might be open to God's graces. Who knows? The Lord might indeed call them, as he has called so many, on their deathbed. The Lord wants everyone to be saved. This may seem unfair, but we know from the teachings of Jesus that God's ways are not our ways. Our justice is not God's justice."

"We hope and pray so that the political situation becomes clearer, to have better balance on behalf of the institutions on this delicate subject, in matters of faith and freedom of religious minorities."

"We want to be a community that lives in dialogue and spreads peace throughout the nation. Certainly these episodes and the controversy surrounding the term "Allah" can have a negative impact on Christian-Muslim dialogue. It will take time and patience to overcome this impasse."

"The Church won't develop by European standards. For centuries we sent missionaries to other continents, now other continents are inspiring us and revitalizing our faith. I think that's a postive development."

"Fear of suffering is a great obstacle to being a happy person in life. God wants us to be happy. Asceticism is not supposed to make us sad. It’s supposed to free us to be able to understand and do what God wants. He wants our happiness. He wants us to bring happiness to others."

"Make your hearts tender so that the grace the God of life abundantly grants us will drench you, and you will experience his salvation. Make your hearts tender so that you will not be indifferent to the pain or suffering of anyone."

"Sorcery accusations have become a scapegoat for young frustrated individuals."

"I think we can expect a great spiritual strengthening."

"Our Heavenly Father has been good to us and this goodness needs to be shared with the less fortunate, especially at this difficult moment."

"I hold teamwork in high esteem. Teamwork, forgiveness, treating more people with respect and equality, doing good to all, especially those who are against you, are some positive actions to heal our wounds and seek the mercy and love of Jesus."

"It is good to remember that the administration of justice is only just when it is exercised in conformity with the truth and the moral good."

"The Church lives on a sorrowful, spectacular and magnificent earth, in a time which has all the features of a dark night. The response of the Church to this dark night is "to be love"; only love is credible."

"The ideal reconciliation should come from religion. But this kind of concept should come from either the Protestants or the Catholics, because we Christians have this kind of idea we have this kind of solidarity — whereas other religions don't care about this."

"Nicaea is not only a place for theological reflection: This Council was also the fruit of the profound witness of faith by so many people who gave their lives for the faith in the first three centuries of Christianity. This witness, in a sense, prepared the outcome of the Council. For us today, the memory of this witness of faith is the most important thing, because it inspires and strengthens us in the challenges we live in the present"

"Our communities must face daily not a few difficulties of an economic order; above all, however, they must be able to react to an inferiority complex in the face of an oppressive Muslim majority, which makes them feel oppressed and can make them think that they are the "infidels.""

"Hypocrisy is a game of pretense. It's a lack of honesty. Clearly, Jesus did not abide hypocrites. He expects honesty. He expects straightforwardness, and he expects us to be humble about it all."

"There are no tensions, between Orthodox and Catholics of the Latin rite, while the relations between Greek Catholics and Orthodox are living a sort of winter."