Matteo Zuppi

"A cardinal must be an example, must be a man who unites... "the hinge," from which cardinal is derived. It consists of being precisely the instrument that holds other objects together. So, all the more reason I feel the importance of being a witness of unity and of believing so greatly in the communion that unites those who are different."

"If everyone finds a home in the church, then they will also understand or rediscover the rules in this house. Nobody can make the one of the many cheap feel-good providers or one of the many counselling services."

"Declaration of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, Fiducia supplicans is placed within the horizon of mercy, of the Church's loving gaze on all of God's children, without, however, departing from the teachings of the Magisterium. God wants everyone to be saved. It is therefore the Church's task to be interested in each and every person. We cannot forget that all the baptized," he added, "enjoy the full dignity of 'children of God' and, as such, are our brothers and sisters. There is no questioning of the meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage. We are open to dialogue, but we will not let others tell us what the content of charitable action or mission is, which are never partisan, because the only part of the Church is Christ and the defense of the person, of life, from beginning to end."

"On abortion, the 194 Law was painful, but it seems to me to guarantee, for some too little, for some too much and it has an important secular translation, so much so that no one is going to question it. Granted that we have to get out of the Oriazi and Curiazi scheme, the deterrent part, about avoiding a woman's suffering, the consultories, can be applied more."

"Welcoming someone has no expiry date or time limit, as long as you ‘stay on the straight and narrow’. If you are a child, you are a child. If you are a brother, you are a brother, this is always your home. Then I may disagree, I may disagree completely. There has been a lot of discussion within the Church about the Zan bill. For example: is surrogacy a problem? Yes, it is a problem. But if you ask me to baptise a child born in this way, I will say: of course! I will do it. I have done it."

"Those who come from afar seem like enemies, but only because no one has ever spoken to them. Don't believe those who tell you not to talk to them: you just have to find the right way to talk to them. ... Sometimes it seems that selfishness is convenient, but it only hurts us. Love is always convenient, love always wins. We must learn to do works of mercy, not works of selfishness."

"Journalist: Welby was denied a funeral. If a person died by assisted suicide, would you celebrate their funeral? Cardinal Zuppi: Yes. However, I must clarify one point: the Church does not allow euthanasia, but calls for the application of palliative care. We remain at the side of our loved ones until the very end, doing everything possible to relieve their physical and spiritual suffering, without any form of aggressive treatment, but always defending the dignity of the person. The complexity of the situation requires intelligence, mercy and love in order to understand the events of life."

"Political love frees us from the distortion of ideologies and restores to us the most noble value, which is to seek what unites us and resolve what divides us."

"There is a deep harmony. Pope Francis manages to reach so many people, he touches their hearts, warms them, makes them feel loved, makes them feel that the Church is close to them, a Church that listens to you, that cares about your problems. The Pope has a great pastoral vision and proclaims the eternal truths in today's language and categories. Above all, he helps us understand that the social and the spiritual are intimately united. And woe betide anyone who divides them."

"If Pope Leo XIV was chosen in such a short time,“ the IEC president added, ”it means that there was a convergence, a coming together. And I think it is a great value. A unity like this, at a time like this, I think it is a beautiful indication and also a great responsibility."

"Seeing so many people in St. Peter's Square waiting for the announcement was truly moving. There was anticipation, so much joy, so much desire. I had a lump in my throat. I wondered what I would have done if I had been in the new Pope's place, and I thought I would have done as in the film by Nanni Moretti: I would have stepped out onto the balcony, and after seeing so many people, I would have closed it and said, “I can't do it”. [...] I knew about FantaPapa because I talked about it with my grandchildren, and we exchanged words of esteem."