Diplomats Of The Holy See

"Every historical epoch has its special conflict, and from the sixteenth century down to our own time the conflict has been between liberty and authority. It is the office of religious and social truth to establish harmony between these two terms. The excess of social authority leads to oppression, and the excess of liberty leads to license and the disorganization of the social fabric. The equilibrium of the two constitutes and maintains the life of all society. Proofs are not needed to show that it has ever been the highest glory of the Catholic Church, I do not say to have invented either social authority or social freedom, but to have maintained the equilibrium and established the harmony of the one with the other."

"His wise and unwearying efforts to reform his diocese, whose clergy were in a deplorable state, were crowned with unhoped-for success."

"Only by successful war can we obtain peace."

"His character was impetuous and haughty, especially towards the Romans."

"He was a man passionately devoted to letters, and somewhat vehement in character. At the conclave of 1758, he was on the point of being elected Pope: he had obtained eighteen votes; but the fears inspired by the inequality of his temper caused him to be set aside."

"King Louis and Cardinal Jouffroy were a well matched pair."

"Gentle as I am now towards every one, it is part of my character never to give way to fear, or to do anything under compulsion."

"Knowing the author personally and admiring his qualities of mind and heart; his sound learning, his rare powers of exposition as a teacher, his priestly zeal and earnestness, I feel confident that his book will be helpful to many souls in this country."

"We should be apostles of good with at least the same zeal and interest with which the wicked propagate evil. For every effort, for every sacrifice, which we make for the Children of Christ as yet outside the Church of Christ, we shall receive a hundred-fold return."

"The pope, by virtue of his primacy of jurisdiction, has the right to send legates to provide for the unity of Faith and for ecclesiastical discipline, and to choose them at will. Though self-evident, this authority of the pope has been contested from a very early period."

"I am very happy to have the opportunity to build fraternal solidarity between the Catholic Church of Korea and Burkina Faso through Saint Andrew Kim. I believe this will allow us to be more deeply united in the love of God. It is a great honor to keep the remains of Saint-André Kim in a cathedral in Burkina Faso. It is a sign of unity and communion of the saints."

"We have to give account only to God. The contribution of the Catholic Church in Ghana cannot be reduced in numbers, because we deal with persons, persons with wonderful dignity regardless of their origins, tribes and religion. A human person is the noblest being on earth. We believe that he is coming and going to God, for that reason we want to serve God through him in the best way."

"The first gift that the Pope has given us and it is one that is visible on the faces of Angolans. From there, we can find the strength to continue on our mission of announcing the Gospel with a renewed spirit, in communion with the Holy Father."

"There are some who confuse the phrase "official State religion" with the idea that "minorities do not belong here.""

"If then the saint's sermons were on the whole moral rather than doctrinal, it was less because he preached to meet the wants of his day, and those whom he addressed had not strayed from dogmatic truth; they were still "hearers", if not "doers", of the Word. For this reason Francis set aside all questions more theoretical than practical, and returned to the Gospel."

"During my teenage years I felt the passion for the mission, which has never stopped over the years. When I was still in good health and no longer Bishop in Padua, I felt the inspiration to go on a mission in the Apostolic Prefecture of Robe, where there were few people to help the very poor population. As Bishop I am the successor of the Apostles, and here I compare myself and I am inspired by the ministry of the first Apostles and St. Paul. I consider it God's grace. Here I am a "simple missionary", without any other titles."

"The announcement of the Gospel always goes together with charity and human promotion."

"As a diplomat with some experience of international crises, I do not hide the fact that there are no magic solutions to this crisis. The strict logic of selfish national interests and various lobbies have been active for some time and can prevent any rational solution."

"War can never more be considered a means of resolving conflicts. Yet war, when it occurs, can only be won through peace, and peace won through negotiations, dialogue and reconciliation."

"I would say that we must learn to overcome historical resentment. History has a weight in each of us and in social life, it cannot be denied, but we cannot be slaves of this history by repeating the same mistakes and clashes. We must put the common good above all."

"Ladies and gentlemen, you will find in your prseence a great body of men who, with many courage and the true Christian spirit, have bound themselves together for the great cause of temperance. Follow their example, for the cause of temperance means the cause of Christian perfection and the cause of suffering humanity. Should you, however, not find it convenient to join their ranks, at least help their cause by your prayers and your constant co-operation. Gentlemen of the Total Abstinence Union, we admire your spirit of self-abnegation in professing the great virtue of total abstinence, and we appreciate your efforts in encouraging it both by words and example. Your associations are of paramount importance for the spiritual and temporal welfare of our people, and are, consequently, of great service to religion and society."

"With all my human and spiritual strength, I invite everyone's consciences to reach a truce and allow a rapid return to national dialogue in order to find an appropriate solution together and therefore solve the crisis."

"It is necessary to have the rich and the poor, because the rich are destined to provide employment for the poor. If everyone were rich, no one would want to work. It's not possible for all of us to be at the same level."

"Today I pray in a special way for peace and harmony in this country, so that with God's help and through the intercession of Our Lady of Budslau we can overcome."

"Presently the clergy is almost entirely made up of native Taiwanese, and these are seeds that will bear fruit with time. I am very satisfied with what has taken place."

"Sometimes it involves missionary work, sometimes it is diplomatic work in the literal sense of the word. First of all, my work is to represent the Holy Father. My second task is to observe what is going on and my third is to report."

"When international solidarity weakens the needs will continue to exist."

"We renew our commitment to serve the Church and the country which means operating, in fidelity to Christian values, concrete solidarity for the poor and the needy; working to promote peace and to defend the fundamental rights of every human person."

"I have always tried to have good contact with all of you and I know that you are very good Bishops and as the Papal Visit showed the Catholic Church in this country is strong. I can assure you that the Catholic community of the UK will always be in my heart. Thank you to every one of you."

"In my new, delicate role, I would be an instrument in building bridges with China. I am very excited at the beginning of this mandate, and I also feel the responsibility of a post that covers a vast field: taking care of the pastoral life of more than 1,000 church districts. I hope that the Church's evangelizing and the missionary work of this Congregation may take on a new momentum, especially in countries with ancient traditions and cultures, such as China and India."

"Healing entire populations of the consequences of war and armed conflicts, especially the people that have been most affected and victimized, is the best investment in building up true security and a durable peace."

"Christianity is not innate or automatic. It is something we receive and learn through our parents, our family, our whanau, our parish community, and later on the wider Catholic community reinforces it."

"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."

"Blessed is the Bishop who for the sake of the Gospel is not afraid to go against the current, who makes his face hard like that of Christ heading to Jerusalem without letting himself be held by misunderstandings and obstacles because he knows that the kingdom of God advances in the contradiction of the world."

"Vocation is a process by which a seed needs to be nurtured to maturity. Training to be a leader in the Church requires following the seminary programme of discipline, being loyal to Church teaching and loving the Holy Father. It means listening to the voice of the Lord, discerning His call and making daily sacrifices as one goes along in this path of formation that is human, spiritual and intellectual."

"The most important thing is not what we do in the Eucharist, but what we are through the Eucharist."

"Raise awareness among young people about this issue. Young people are the ones who need greater awareness of the problem; they are the ones who must participate actively in various activities."

"He is more preoccupied about the fate of the children who are far away and do not share in the full communion of affection. Such is the attitude of the Holy Father with regard to Chinese Catholics on both sides of the Strait of Taiwan. Since I am not a prophet, I cannot tell you what will happen in the future to our relations. As a true mother, the Church will not and cannot abandon her children, whatever country they may find themselves in."

"If Christians in Portugal keep their love for Our Lady strong, I believe that it will also keep their faith alive, which will bring them directly to Jesus."

"As the Pope's representative I very much hope firstly to be able of course to be a support to the local church, that's our first task, and also to in some way do whatever I can to facilitate the ongoing peace."

"The instruments are not political, they are the Christian virtues, in the first place fraternal charity. This is the principle which I have always tried to follow in my work in Russia, the attempt to increase a mutual understanding and respect that are born from the common Christian vocation."

"My ongoing duty will be to support and strengthen the climate of mutual respect and trust through sincere and constructive dialogue, and I am sure, Mr. President, that I can count on your help and on your kind understanding, as well as on the good intentions and help of all people of good will, regardless of their religious and political affiliations."

"You know, as nuncio, as a representative of the Holy Father, I am saddened and ashamed, that when in a neighboring country crosses are erected, it is bishops and priests of all people who think they have to criticize the decision. That is a disgrace! That is unacceptable."

"We are created by God. So, we have to thank the Lord for the gift of life and take care of the house that the Lord gave us, which is the earth."

"What matters is following your conscience as a Catholic. Everyone had this duty in Poland."

"The world is suffering. In large part, its misery comes from a lack of a sense of God. The role of the Pope is to point people towards God who is the source of love and truth. With openness to the Transcendent... public life can become active and fruitful, and society, even a global society, can be transformed for the good."

"Your mission is to spread hope everywhere, we are baptized as children of hope. Do not be depressed, you are our future and we do not want you to say that you are depressed. In order to build a nation, we need our young people to be firmly anchored in moral values. As young Christians, you are called to live the Christian values of faith, hope and love: to build a society with goodness, I urge you to live these values."

"Do not forget that in the person of the bishop, Jesus is present among his people, and by your service you will announce fearlessly the Word of God and sanctify the faithful through the sacraments."

"After Sri Lanka, Africa and Japan, it's a different world in the same world. Each area has its own particular challenge."

"I look back nostalgically to that time, thirty-five years ago, when we worked and prayed and studied together. I remember Father De Paoli as a man of few words, but he observed events objectively, with a keen eye, and his judgments were sound."