"With our hearts filled with grief we communicate the anguish, sadness, sufferings of this country for many years: civil war, inhuman violence, chronic poverty, hunger, unemployment, lack of sources of work, political situation unable to deal with this reality. In addition to this desolate scene, sad and dark, now there are the effects of hurricane Stan: loss of life, material damage to homes, harvests, infrastructures, and a panorama of devastation which calls for our Christian solidarity."

"One cannot live a worthy life killing his brother."

"One of our biggest problems is that the authorities frequently confuse the social labor of the church with subversion. The church cannot confine itself to preaching a spiritual message without doing anything to put that message into practice. If a man is starving, he must be fed first of all. Military authorities have told me that the church should only preach, and not act, but without good works, faith has no life."

"Religious life can't be understood without projecting good to others. So any project that aims to improve communities can't ignore spiritual growth of the beneficiaries — that union of faith and daily activity that helps people become of importance to the community."

"The culture of the indigenous groups is one the great riches of our country. The first bishop of Guatemala said that the Church should recognize the Indios and that they should recognize the Church. A process which is not yet finished. So the inculturation of the faith is not a problem, but a challenge, rather. It must be done with judgment, without mixing the Christian identity with another which is not Christian."

"We have to at least be able to show our solidarity, to let them see that they have a pastor who suffers with their suffering, who gets angry and frustrated at their situation, who is indignant because of it."