Cardinals

"In almost every article, two basic requirements are referred to: compliance with Brazilian laws and equal treatment with other confessions. So no privilege, no discrimination. Indeed, one may well say that with this agreement the Church further promotes religious freedom and facilitates legal relations with the State for other religious institutions."

"Proclaiming the Gospel to the poor is top priority for the religious and for all Christians in Bangladesh. Announcing the Good News of Jesus is the precious mission that all priests and all religious share in their commitment to the evangelization."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"Legalized abortion signifies calling what is good, evil, what is light, shadow. Satan has laid the foundations for his ‘creation’: to remove from creation the image of God, to obscure His presence therein. At the root of this is the work of Satan, who wants to build an actual anti-creation. This is the ultimate and terrible challenge which Satan is hurling at God. ‘I am demonstrating to you that I am capable of constructing an alternative to your creation. And man will say: it is better in the alternative creation than in your creation."

"It’s impossible to consider oneself a Catholic if that person in one way or another recognizes same-sex marriage as a right."

"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."

"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."

"We have to witness to what produces our following of Christ so than man may grow personally according to the Spirit, and new forms of life have appeared that are more in accordance with human dignity. At this time of history the great service the church is called upon to provide in Europe is that of showing her true identity."

"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."

"Do you know how many stars there are in the observable universe? An impressive and marvellous number: a sextillion stars – a 1 followed by 24 zeros! If we divided them among the 8 billion inhabitants of Earth, each person would have hundreds of billions of stars to themselves. With the naked eye, on clear nights, we can see about five thousand of them. However, they show us a direction, just like when sailing at sea. Travellers have always found their way using the stars. Sailors followed the North Star; Polynesians crossed the ocean by memorising star charts. According to the farmers of the Andes, whom I met as a missionary in Peru, the sky is an open book that marks the seasons of sowing, shearing, and the cycles of life. Even the Magi followed a star to get to Bethlehem and worship the Baby Jesus."

"Being a good shepherd means being able to accompany God's people and live close to them, not being isolated. Pope Francis has said this clearly many times. He does not want bishops who live in palaces. He wants bishops who live in relationship with God, with the rest of the episcopate, with priests and, above all, with the people of God in a way that reflects the compassion and love of Christ, creating community, learning to live what it means to be part of the Church in an integral way that includes much listening and dialogue."

"You become dizzy due to the immensity of what marriage means, but when you're in love, these things become easier. I find myself in love with the Lord and with the mission he is entrusting to me."

"Perseverance is a great gift that the Lord is ready to offer us. But we must learn to welcome it and make it come alive, to be strong. It is one of those gifts that are built up over time, in the small trials of the beginning that help us to be stronger, to be able to carry the Cross when it becomes heavier. It is what enables us and makes us capable of moving forward."

"The priorities of pastoral work will always be different in one place or another, but recognising the great richness of the diversity of the People of God is tremendously helpful because it makes us more sensitive to reaching out and responding better to what is expected of us."

"Ah! sainte Vierge, ayez pitié de moi et recevez mon âme."

"Un vrai soldat ne porte pas d'armes ouvragées trop délicatement. De même un artiste accompli n'utilise pas d'outils trop jolis ni trop élaborés — à moins qu'il n'ait l'excuse de l'extrême jeunesse. Quant au véritable érudit, il ne passe pas son temps en divertissements futiles, ni à briller dans les salons."

"Fourbe il a vécu, fourbe il a voulu mourir."

"Il faut quitter tout cela!"

"Est-il heureux?"

"Ce fantôme de Richelieu, c’était Mazarin."

"Ils chantent, ils payeront."

"Le temps et moi."

"°I consider myself an amateur tennis player. [...] I really enjoy reading, going for long walks, travelling, seeing new places and enjoying the countryside in a different environment. I like to relax with friends and get to know people who are so different from me, whose gifts I learn from and appreciate greatly."

"Sinner: The ball, there it is. If you want to play a little. Pope Leo XIV: But we'll break something here! We'd better not."

"Il se mettra en chemin un peu tard, mais il ira plus loin qu'un autre."

"Ideologies have become more powerful than humanity's real experience, faith, and the different values we live by. Some will misunderstand unity as uniformity: ‘You must be like us.’ No, it cannot be so. Nor can diversity be understood as a way of living without criteria or order. The latter lose sight of the fact that since the very creation of the world, the gift of nature, the gift of human life, the gift of so many different things that we experience and celebrate, cannot be sustained by inventing my own rules and doing things my way. These are ideological positions. When an ideology becomes, so to speak, the master of my life, then I can no longer dialogue with another person because I have already decided how things will be. Therefore, I am closed to encounter and transformation cannot take place. And this can happen anywhere in the world, on any subject. This obviously makes it very difficult to be Church, to be community, to be brothers and sisters."

"It will be a pontificate in continuity with the magisterium of Pope Francis. I am very happy about that. This is what the majority of the cardinals wanted ... but with a style of their own. [...] Pope Leo XIV, in his first message, spoke of a “synodal Church.” Having participated in the work of the Synod, we have a Pope who knows synodality, who understands it, who dares to be synodal. There will not be a revolution, but an evolution."

"Le ministre tout-puissant, qui avait pris à la reine mère sa régence, au roi sa royauté, n’avait pu prendre à la nature un bon estomac."

"Sire, je vous dois tout, mais je crois m'acquitter en quelque manière en vous donnant Colbert."

"Alarming news continues to emerge from the Middle East, especially from Iran. Against this tragic backdrop, which includes Israel and Palestine, people’s daily suffering, especially in Gaza and the other territories, where the need for adequate humanitarian aid is becoming increasingly urgent, risks being forgotten."

"In order to feed the thousands of people who came to listen to him and to ask for healing, Jesus invited the Apostles to bring him what little they had; he then blessed the loaves and fishes, and told them to distribute them to everyone. The result was astonishing: not only did everyone receive enough food, but there was an abundance left over … Beyond being a marvel, the miracle is a "sign" that reminds us that God’s gifts, even the smallest, grow whenever they are shared. Reading this on the day of Corpus Christi, however, leads us to reflect on an even deeper reality. For we know that at the root of every human sharing lies a greater sharing that precedes it, namely God’s sharing with us."

"Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace. This is a cry that requires responsibility and reason, and it must not be drowned out by the din of weapons or the rhetoric that incites conflict. Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm. There are no "distant" conflicts when human dignity is at stake."

"I met Leo XIV in Peru, and I was struck by his serenity. He is the right man to lead the Church."

"This morning's meeting went very well. We also discussed the need to make the Church more collegial. He is an excellent Pope and received well over 100 votes."

"War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal. No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, or stolen futures. May diplomacy silence the weapons! May nations chart their futures with works of peace, not with violence and bloodstained conflicts!"

"God's charity, which makes us brothers and sisters, is at the heart of the Gospel, and with Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today: if this criterion ‘were to prevail in the world, would not all strife cease and peace return?’ (Encyclical Letter Rerum novarum, 21). With the light and strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on God's love and a sign of unity, a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the Word, allows itself to be unsettled by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity. Together, as one people, as Fratelli tutti [brothers and sisters], let us walk towards God and love one another."

"Brother Cardinals, I greet and thank you all for this meeting and for the days that preceded it, days that were painful because of the loss of the Holy Father Francis, demanding because of the responsibilities we face together, and at the same time, according to the promise Jesus himself made to us, rich in grace and consolation in the Spirit. Your presence reminds me that the Lord who entrusted this mission to me does not leave me alone in bearing its responsibility. I know, first of all, that I can always, always count on his help, the help of the Lord, and, by his grace and providence, on your closeness and that of so many brothers and sisters throughout the world who believe in God, love the Church, and support the Vicar of Christ with their prayers and good works."

"I also want to thank all my brother cardinals who chose me to be Peter's successor and to walk with you as a united Church, always seeking peace, justice, always trying to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries."

"I am a son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, who said: “I am a Christian with you and a bishop for you.” In this sense we can all walk together towards that homeland that God has prepared for us. A special greeting to the Church of Rome! We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive like this square with open arms. All of them, all those who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love."

"To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, which always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer."

"It’s shocking, mind-numbing, mind-blowing. How do you describe that? I don’t know. I still haven’t figured out how to tell anybody what I feel, other than out of my head, crazy with happiness, pride, joy, love for my brother.When he made his appearance, then it became real. It’s one thing to hear the name, but when Rob came out onto the balcony and we saw him, it just brought tears to my eyes. You know that’s my little brother. He’s now pope. I don’t know how to describe it spiritually. He was special. When we were kids and went to play games, he wanted to play priest. How many little kids want to play priest, you know? As soon as he got out of eighth grade, he went directly into the seminary. It was like he knew what he wanted to do, and more power to him, and he’s been quite successful at it, right?"

"Today is the day of the Supplication to the Madonna of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to be close, to help us with her intercession and her love. Then I would like to pray with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world and let us ask this special grace from Mary, our mother."

"With great joy I extend my cordial greetings to all of you, Representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, as well as of other religions, who participated in the inaugural celebration of my ministry as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter. [...] One of the strong emphases of Pope Francis’ pontificate was that of universal fraternity. In this regard the Holy Spirit really “urged” him to advance with great strides the initiatives already undertaken by previous Pontiffs, especially since Saint John XXIII. The Pope of Fratelli Tutti promoted both the ecumenical path and interreligious dialogue. He did so above all by cultivating interpersonal relations, in such a way that, without taking anything away from ecclesial bonds, the human trait of the encounter was always valued. May God help us to treasure his witness! [...]"