Aldo Maria Valli

"The undersigned was among the first to denounce the inadequacy of the Pope's comments on terrorist violence and to gently suggest that he reread Benedict XVI's lecture in Regensburg, when Ratzinger, with foresight, confronted Islam with the problem that this religion has with the use of the sword, that is, force and coercion."

"Today we have a reigning pontiff who uses the same language as the world and proposes the same theses as dominant secularist thought. On more than one public occasion the pope has avoided giving a blessing using the Trinitarian formula in order not to offend the sensibilities of non-believers and those of other faiths."

"We Christians know this, or should know it: our faith is characterised by et et, not aut aut. We are not exclusivists. God is one and triune. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus is God and man, true God and true man. For Christians, man is flesh and spirit, body and soul. Christians like to integrate and include, not erect barriers. Through the Incarnation, God became man. The Church itself lives by the principle of et et. It is a Church of prayer and action, of great ascetics and great workers, of contemplation and mission. Ora et labora, not ora aut labora. The Church has preachers and confessors, cloistered monks and nuns, and street priests. The Church welcomes everyone: poor and rich, educated and uneducated, young and old."

"When Bergoglio was elected, and I saw him take the name Francis for expressly ideological reasons and appear at the balcony of St Peter's, bowing to ask for the blessing of the people, after saying “good evening” instead of “Praised be Jesus Christ” (“good evening” which, of course, was very much appreciated by the enemies of the Church), I said to myself: “Here we go!" The prediction had come true. After that, it was a succession of painful confirmations, especially for me after Amoris laetitia."

"Interviewer: ‘Is Italy still a Catholic country? Aldo Maria Valli: If we look at the figures for baptisms and children receiving their first communion, it would seem so. But very often it is a superficial Catholicism, linked to family tradition. Participation in the sacrament is more of an occasion for celebration and serves to strengthen family ties. As soon as confirmation comes around, there is a great exodus. In any case, compared to other countries with an ancient Christian tradition, two signs indicate that Catholic values are still alive in Italy: the stability of the family based on marriage (which, despite everything, remains a goal for many young people) and widespread solidarity, which manifests itself in voluntary work."