"We the people of Burundi have suffered deeply but we also believe deeply in the redemptive value of suffering. We sympathise with our Holy Father Pope John Paul II in his present state of suffering."

"We place great emphasis on the formation of our priests but also lay people who play an increasingly important role in the Church, as witnesses of faith in society. We are grateful to the Lord for the fact that we see so many people engaged in pastoral and social activities of the Church, and among these there are also intellectuals and public officials."

"I am convinced that peace in Burundi is connected with the general situation in the Great Lakes region: peace in the other countries, Democratic Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, will have positive effects also in Burundi and viceversa, the stabilising of my country will help to progress of peace in the whole region."

"The future of everyone is in the hands of God. It's very dangerous, but I think we have to stay with the people in this particular hour when we are suffering. We have to be very, very clever and wise to avoid that which could be dangerous, but I have to stay. Peace is a gift from God and our fellow man. We can hope because we know that God, our Father, is the father of peace. We are created for peace and love, not war."

"In Burundi, the dual contrasting experience of a deadly civil war and the arduous task of restoring peace through reconciliation in justice has convinced us of the need to work together on a regional and inter-regional level. Even if different from one country to the other, the history of socio-political conflicts in our region presents common constants that require the conjugation and the coordination of efforts in the search for reconciliation and peace."

"We deplore many irregularities with regard to the freedom and transparency of the electoral process as well as fairness in the treatment of certain candidates and voters."