catholics-from-portugal

"I know that the Chief will kill me, and I am delighted to receive such a happy end from the hand of God."

"Before the events of 1917, apart from the family ties that united us, no other particular affection made me prefer the company of Jacinta and Francisco to that of any other child. On the contrary, her company sometimes became quite unpleasant because of her overly sensitive character. The slightest issue, of the kind that arise among children when they play, was enough to make her sulk in a corner, imitating a mule, as we used to say. To get her back into the game, even the sweetest caresses that children can give in such situations were not enough. It was necessary to let her choose the game and the companion with whom she wanted to play. However, even at that time, she had a very kind heart, and God had blessed her with a sweet and tender character, which made her both lovable and attractive."

"Francesco did not seem to be Jacinta Marto's brother, except in his facial features and in the practice of virtue. He was not as capricious and lively as she was. On the contrary, he had a peaceful and accommodating character. [...] Unlike Giacinta, he did not show a passion for dancing; he preferred to play the flute while the other children danced. He was quite lively when playing games, but few enjoyed playing with him because he almost always lost. I myself confess that I had little sympathy for him, because his peaceful character sometimes irritated my overly lively nature."

"The little girl also loved to go out at dusk to the farmyard in front of our house to watch the beautiful sunset and the starry sky that followed. She was thrilled by the beautiful nights of the full moon. We challenged each other to see who could count the stars, which we called the angels' lamps. The moon belonged to Our Lady and the sun to the Lord. That is why Jacinta sometimes said: – I like Our Lady's lamp better because it does not burn us or blind us, whereas the Lord's does."

"Yesterday as today, the Catholic Church is called to respond with its effective and consoling presence among the martyred population, without ever ceasing to launch appeals for peace and reconciliation of the parties in conflict: The violence ravaging northern Mozambique, in the province of Cabo Delgado, has already made its martyrs among the Catholic community. The example of the martyrs of Chapotera, like that of the catechist martyrs of Guiúa and many others, is of great importance today. They are men and women who chose a life of witness and proclamation of the Gospel of peace and love. Their example remains and multiplies."

"Be what you say and do. Do what you are and say. And to say who you are and what you do, in the spirit of Jesus Christ, is a promise for the communities that give life by giving of themselves."

"The Church of Christ does not lack reasons for conversion and for putting discipleship into practice. A disciple Church generating disciples, learning from Christ to let herself be questioned and called upon, with an open heart always concerned for the most humble, the poorest, the most tired and persecuted, for searchers of the truth."

"It is not easy to link together the individual and society, or the believer and the community. Nothing is easy, in effect. I therefore believe that the "newness" to be sought for today's evangelization should be proposed as a rediscovery of living Christ in the co-existence of specific communities. These, in turn, should integrate interpersonal links, indispensable nowadays: inter-communitarian communities, fixed but interconnected points."

"If the regime remains in power, I do not see that the Catholic Church could have a future in China other than that of a persecuted Church"

"As your bishop, in this moment of grief I also pray and invite Catholics to pray, entrusting the worries and suffering of everyone in this hour to the Lady of the Hill, our patroness"

"In Angola a country of many ethnic groups, languages, parties, churches and sects there is need of unity, fatherland, nationality."

"It is not always possible to recover one's health. However, it is possible to give comfort to the sick and help of the divine grace. Sometimes this is what they mostly need, and this is the role of pastoral care. Anointing the sick, which must be administered by the right person must be a pastoral need on the part of the Church towards its suffering members"

"At this moment, the priority is to bring God to the hearts of men and women, and men and women to the heart of God, and this is part of the message of Fatima. This is because we live in a time of religious indifference. Our greatest enemy is not militant atheism but religious indifference. This indifference is fought with the joyful and convinced testimony of faithful Christians."

"We are ready to support all initiatives and measures to assist mothers in difficulty from whatever side they are promoted."

"To go to the encounter with Christ in the needy through a total dedication must have a universal dimension that does not allow the exception of persons even for religious reasons. To travel is synonymous of courage and does not admit any tiredness. Only like this will the civilization of love become concrete."

"The result is not decisive and the Church is of the opinion that the question of human life should not be treated with a referendum, because a majority vote cannot turn what is evil into good. The Church will continue to be a channel of prophetic denouncement and active solidarity."

"The norms whereby bishops are chosen are not divine law and hence are always perfectible. But direct involvement, as if elective, of the laity in the choice of a bishop today would be unimaginable."

"When values have their foundation in man, they are very fragile. It's enough to look at the 20th century."

"It's a tribunal because it judges. Penitentiary because it deals with penance and Apostolic because the Lord has told us to forgive, therefore it does just that."

"I always wanted to be a priest and missionary. But God has always caught me off guard. I am nostalgic for what I left behind, but I accepted everything without bitterness and never got my head in the various roles I took on. Personally, I would have preferred to go on the mission, but the Pope asked me to be a missionary here in Setúbal. The mission today is in Europe and a challenge for the Church."

"The Gospel is, first of all, confirmed by the witness of life, the testimony of those who let themselves daily convert by the Lord. More than technics, it is the announcement of the infinite love of God’s mercy by concrete people. It is God, present in the person who announces and in the heart of the one who listens to the announcement, and that is where the Gospel draws its effectiveness."

"[...] We saw on the left side of Our Lady, a little higher up, an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; it sparkled and emitted flames that seemed to set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady emanated from her right hand towards him: the Angel pointed to the earth with his right hand and said in a loud voice: Penance, Penance, Penance! And we saw in an immense light that is God: [...] a Bishop dressed in white [...]. Various other Bishops, Priests, religious men and women climbing a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a large Cross of rough logs as if made of cork with bark; Before reaching it, the Holy Father passed through a large city half in ruins and half trembling with faltering steps, afflicted with pain and sorrow, praying for the souls of the corpses he encountered on his way; When he reached the top of the mountain, he knelt at the foot of the large Cross and was killed by a group of soldiers who shot him several times with firearms and arrows. In the same way, the bishops, priests, religious men and women, and various secular people, men and women of various classes and positions, died one after the other. Beneath the two arms of the Cross were two Angels, each with a crystal watering can in their hands, in which they collected the blood of the Martyrs and with it watered the souls who were approaching God. (p. 209)"

"[...] I wanted to open the New Testament, the only book I want to have here in front of me, in a hidden corner of the attic, where I retreat, in the light of a poor glass tile, to escape human eyes as much as possible. My knees serve as a table; an old suitcase serves as a chair. ‘Why don't you write in your cell?’ some may ask. The good Lord saw fit to deprive me of a cell, even though there are several empty ones here in the house. [...] But I am content and I thank God for being born poor and for living, through His love, even poorer. [...] And that's fine. I need nothing else: obedience and abandonment to God, who works in me. In reality, I am nothing more than the poor and miserable instrument He wants to use, and soon, like the painter who throws his brush into the fire so that it is reduced to ashes, so too will the Divine Painter reduce His useless instrument to the ashes of the grave, until the great day of eternal hallelujah. And I ardently desire that day, because the tomb does not destroy everything, and the happiness of eternal and infinite love begins there. (pp. 132-133)"

"Sometimes I was asked if Our Lady indicated in any apparition what kind of sins offended the Lord most. Well, according to what they say, Jacinta mentioned the sin of the flesh in Lisbon. Perhaps, I think now, since it was one of the questions she asked me, she happened to ask Our Lady about it in Lisbon, and that is how she was told about that sin. (pp. 122-123)"

"Francisco did not seem to be Jacinta's brother, except in his facial features and in the practice of virtue. He was not as capricious and lively as she was. On the contrary, he was peaceful and accommodating in character. [...] He did not show the same passion for dancing as Jacinta; he preferred to play the flute while the other children danced. In games, he was quite lively, but few enjoyed playing with him because he almost always lost. I myself confess that I had little sympathy for him, because his peaceful character sometimes irritated my overly lively nerves. (p. 134)"

"Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire, which seemed to be underground. Immersed in that fire, the demons and souls, as if they were transparent and black or bronze embers, with human form, were floating in the fire, carried by the flames that came out of themselves together with clouds of smoke, falling on all sides like sparks in great fires, without weight or balance, amid cries and groans of pain and despair that filled one with horror and made one tremble with fear. The demons could be recognised by their horrible and repulsive forms of frightening and unknown animals, but transparent and black. (p. 119)"

"[...] we raised our eyes to Our Lady, who said to us with kindness and sadness: – You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If they do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and will have peace. The war is about to end, but if they do not cease offending God, a worse one will begin during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign that God is giving you that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, through war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father. To prevent this, I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If they accept My requests, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, it will spread its errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be destroyed. In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, which will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. (pp. 119-120)"

"The little girl also loved to go to the threshing floor in front of our house at dusk to watch the beautiful sunset and the starry sky that followed. She was thrilled by the beautiful full moon nights. We challenged each other to see who could count the stars, which we called the angels' lamps. The moon belonged to Our Lady and the Sun belonged to the Lord. For this reason, Jacinta sometimes said: – I like Our Lady's lamp better because it doesn't burn us or blind us, whereas the Lord's does. (p. 40)"

"[...] Our Lady said that we must recite the Rosary to obtain graces during the year. And she continued: – Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially whenever you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for your love, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. [...] When you recite the Rosary, after each mystery say: “O my Jesus! Forgive us, deliver us from the fire of hell, bring all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need”. (pp. 172-174)"

"Some people, even pious ones, do not want to talk about hell to children so as not to frighten them; but God did not hesitate to show it to three, one of whom was only six years old, and whom He knew would be so horrified that, I dare say, she would be weakened by fear. She would often sit on the ground or on a rock and exclaim thoughtfully: – Hell! Hell! How much compassion I have for the souls who go to hell! And the people there, alive, burning like wood on the fire! And, trembling all over, she would kneel with her hands clasped to recite the prayer that Our Lady had taught us: – O my Jesus! Forgive our sins, deliver us from the fire of hell, take all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need. Now, Most Reverend and Most Honourable Bishop, you will understand why I was left with the impression that the last words of this prayer referred to the souls who are in greater or more imminent danger of damnation. And she remained kneeling for a long time, repeating the same prayer. (p. 121)"

"– What do you want from me? – I asked. – I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to recite the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Then I will tell you what I want. I asked for the healing of a sick person. – If he converts, he will be healed within the year. ‘I would like to ask you to take us to Heaven.’ "Yes, Jacinta and Francisco, I will take them soon, but you will remain here for some time. Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. – Will I stay here alone? – I asked sadly. – No, my child. Does this cause you great suffering? Do not be discouraged. I will never leave you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God. As she uttered these last words, she opened her hands and communicated to us, for the second time, the reflection of that immense light, in which we saw ourselves as immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light that rose towards Heaven, while I was in the part that spread over the earth. In front of the palm of Our Lady's right hand, there was a heart crowned with thorns that seemed to be stuck in it. We understood that it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, which wanted reparation. (pp. 171-172)"

"We had been told to recite the Crown after our snack, but since we felt we didn't have enough time to play, we found a good way to finish it quickly: we passed the beads, saying only: Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary! When we reached the end of the mystery, after a long pause, we said the simple words: Our Father! And so, in the blink of an eye, as they say, our Crown was finished! (p. 43)"

"I thought of opening the New Testament, the only book I desire to have here in front of me, in this remote corner of the attic, lit by a single skylight, to which I withdraw whenever I can, in order to escape, as far as possible, from all human eyes. My lap serves as a table, and an old trunk as a chair. But, someone will say, why don’t you write in your cell? Our dear Lord has seen fit to deprive me even of a cell, although there are quite a few empty ones in the house … But I am glad and I thank God for the grace of having been born poor, and for living more poorly still for love of Him. … Very well then. I need no more than this: obedience and abandonment to God who works within me. I am truly no more than a poor and miserable instrument which He desires to use, and in a little while, like a painter who casts his now useless brush into the fire so that it may be reduced to ashes, the Divine Artist will Himself reduce His now useless instrument to the ashes of the tomb, until the great day of the eternal Alleluias. And I ardently desire that day, for the tomb does not annihilate everything, and the happiness of eternal and infinite love begins – now!"

"Before the events of 1917, apart from the family ties that bound us together, I had no particular affection for Jacinta and Francisco that made me prefer their company to that of any other children. In fact, her company sometimes became quite unpleasant because of her overly touchy character. The slightest issue, of the kind that arises between children when they play, was enough to make her sulk in a corner, imitating a mule, as we used to say. To get her back into the game, even the sweetest caresses that children can give in such situations were not enough. It was necessary to let her choose the game and the companion with whom she wanted to play. However, even at that time, she had a very kind heart, and the good Lord had endowed her with a sweet and tender character, which made her both lovable and attractive. (pp. 36-37)"

"The pattern of killing, destroying and burning was soon to be given the imprimatur of Vasco da Gama himself, when in the middle of 1502 he sailed once more into the Indian Ocean. The king’s ‘almirante amigo’ now commanded twenty-five ships, the ten largest containing ‘much beautiful artillery, with plenty of munitions and weapons, all in great abundance’. Thirteen of the ships under da Gama’s command belonged to wealthy Portuguese merchants. Since his first appearance less than five years before, in command of three small vessels groping their way towards an uncertain goal, everything had changed. Da Gama was now clear about where he was going and what he meant to do. The Zamorin had ‘treated him with contumely’, so he ‘felt in his heart a great desire to go and make havoc of him’."

"Vasco da Gama had bombarded Calicut when the Zamorin ruler of that place refused to be dictated by him. He had plundered the ships bringing rice to the city and cut off the ears, noses and hands of the crews. The Zamorin had sent to him a Brahmin envoy after securing Portuguese safe-conduct. Vasco da Gama had cut off the nose, ears and hands of the Brahmin and strung them around his neck together with a palm-leaf on which a message was conveyed to the Indian king that he could cook and eat a curry made from his envoy’s limbs."

"With Calicut at his mercy, da Gama might have sent his soldiers ashore to put to the sword as many of its citizens as they could seize. Instead, he told his men to parade the prisoners, then to hack off their hands, ears and noses. As the work progressed, all the amputated pieces were piled up in a small boat. The Brahmin who had been sent out by the Zamorin as an emissary was put into the boat amid its new, gruesome cargo. He had also been mutilated in the ordained manner. The historian Gaspar Correa describes what da Gama did next: When all the Indians had been thus executed [sic], he ordered their feet to be tied together, as they had no hands with which to untie them: and in order that they should not untie them with their teeth, he ordered them to strike upon their teeth with staves, and they knocked them down their throats; and they were put on board, heaped on top of each other, mixed up with the blood which streamed from them; and he ordered mats and dry leaves to be spread over them, and the sails to be set for the shore, and the vessel set on fire … and the small vessel with the friar [Brahmin], with all the hands and ears, was also sent ashore, without being fired."

"The transfixing of men hung in mid-air was one of the admiral’s favourite forms of execution, since it gave his soldiers good practice. However, there was a strange incident when three among a group of captured sailors from the Coromandel coast threw their hands up to heaven and told him that they wanted to become Christians. Da Gama, unmoved, ordered the interpreter to tell them ‘that even though they became Christians, yet still he would kill them’. The ship’s priest was allowed to baptize them none the less, and as he declaimed the Pater Noster and the Ave Maria they recited his words. ‘When this was done, then they hanged them up strangled, that they might not feel the arrows.’ The crossbowmen transfixed the rest of da Gama’s victims strung from the yardarm; but the arrows which struck the newly-baptized trio ‘did not go in, nor make any mark’. At this, the admiral seemed troubled. The three bodies were shrouded and thrown into the sea, which the chronicler of this event called the Lord’s ‘great mercy’ to gentiles. The priest said prayers and read psalms. However, da Gama was troubled only briefly. When yet another Brahmin was sent from Calicut to plead for peace, he had his lips cut off, and his ears cut off; the ears of a dog were sewn on instead, and the Brahmin was sent back to the Zamorin in that state. He had brought with him three young boys, two of them his sons and a nephew. They were hanged from the yardarm and their bodies sent ashore."

"Quem não é senhor de si Porque o será de ninguém?"

"Viera estar rosal florido, cogí rosas con sospiro: vengo del rosale.'Del rosal vengo, mi madre, vengo del rosale."

"En la huerta nasce la rosa: quiérome ir allá por mirar al ruiseñor cómo cantavá."

"La caza de amor es de altanería."

"The war in Ukraine must stop — now. We need serious negotiations for peace, based on the principles of the United Nations Charter. This Council is charged with maintaining peace — and doing so in solidarity. I deeply regret the divisions that have prevented the Security Council from acting not only on Ukraine, but on other threats to peace and security around the world. I urge the Council to do everything in its power to end the war and to mitigate its impact, both on the suffering people of Ukraine, and on vulnerable people and developing countries around the world."

"The war in Ukraine is one of the greatest challenges ever to the international order and the global peace architecture, founded on the United Nations Charter. Because of its nature, intensity, and consequences. We are dealing with the full-fledged invasion, on several fronts, of one Member State of the United Nations, Ukraine, by another, the Russian Federation — a Permanent Member of the Security Council — in violation of the United Nations Charter, and with several aims, including redrawing the internationally-recognized borders between the two countries. The war has led to senseless loss of life, massive devastation in urban centres, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. I will never forget the horrifying images of civilians killed in Bucha. I immediately called for an independent investigation to guarantee effective accountability."

"Today, Ukraine is an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain. I witnessed that very vividly today around Kyiv: the senseless loss of life, the massive destruction, the unacceptable violations of human rights and the laws of war. It is vital that the International Criminal Court and other UN mechanisms conduct their work so that there can be real accountability."

"The only outcome to all this is more suffering, more destruction, and more horror as far as the eye can see. The Ukrainian people are enduring a living hell — and the reverberations are being felt worldwide with skyrocketing food, energy and fertilizer prices threatening to spiral into a global hunger crisis."

"One month ago, the Russian Federation launched a massive invasion of the sovereign territory of Ukraine in violation of the UN Charter. It was done after months of building up a military force of overwhelming proportion along the Ukrainian border. Since then, we have seen appalling human suffering and destruction in cities, towns and villages. Systematic bombardments that terrorise civilians. The shelling of hospitals, schools, apartment buildings and shelters. And all of it is intensifying — getting more destructive and more unpredictable by the hour."

"This war is unwinnable. Sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield to the peace table. That is inevitable. The only question is: How many more lives must be lost? How many more bombs must fall? How many Mariupols must be destroyed? How many Ukrainians and Russians will be killed before everyone realizes that this war has no winners — only losers? How many more people will have to die in Ukraine, and how many people around the world will have to face hunger for this to stop? Continuing the war in Ukraine is morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensical. What I said from this podium almost one month ago should be even more evident today. By any measure — by even the shrewdest calculation — it is time to stop the fighting now and give peace a chance. It is time to end this absurd war."

"The position of the United Nations is clear. As I said in Moscow, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations. I am here to focus on ways on how the UN can expand support for the people of Ukraine, saving lives, reduce suffering and help find the path of peace. I want the Ukrainian people to know that the world sees you, hears you, and is in awe of your resilience and resolve. I also know that words of solidarity are not enough. I am here to zero in on needs on the ground and scale up operations. Let me be very clear. The Security Council failed to do everything in its power to prevent and end this war. This is a source of great disappointment, frustration and anger. But the men and women of the United Nations are working every day for the people of Ukraine, side by side with so many brave Ukrainian organizations."

"Ukraine is on fire. The country is being decimated before the eyes of the world. The impact on civilians is reaching terrifying proportions. Countless innocent people – including women and children – have been killed. After being hit by Russian forces, roads, airports and schools lie in ruins. According to the World Health Organization, at least 24 health facilities have suffered attacks. Hundreds of thousands of people are without water or electricity. With each passing hour, two things are increasingly clear: First — it keeps getting worse. Second — whatever the outcome, this war will have no winners, only losers."