Diplomats Of The Holy See

"We are close to the Holy Father. We love him and pray for him always. The Pope is our only hope, he is the one who makes his voice heard to defend the rights of Christians in every part of the world. We are close to him at this time of suffering and pray the Lord to accompany him at this time of trial."

"Northern Ireland and the peace process is still a delicate initiative, it needs some tending, it needs support, it needs accompaniment, it needs midwifing."

"Mercy without truth is not Christian, because that doesn't take into account the dignity of the human person."

"Peace is a challenge and a necessity for everyone, but especially in the regions where we suffer more."

"I imagine that each one of you come from a family, therefore, you should respect it, support it and strengthen it. Especially in a country that has its dynamism founded on it."

"For us as priests, I think it makes it easier because, no matter where we go, we find something of the Church. People recognize the role of the priest. You enter into that immediately. I think it's different from the civil diplomats."

"God Almighty who knows everything is with you. The heavenly Father helps all those who face such suffering like the tsunami disaster."

"You know we are all responsible for building peace in the world. Respond to blind violence and inhuman hatred with the extraordinary power of love. Forgive those who offend you. Do not let yourselves be dragged into manifestations of nationalism, racism and intolerance."

"Jerusalem is not like any other Church. It is the Mother Church. There are the holy places and to belong to the Church of Jerusalem was very important to me. But in the end, I understood, it is the Universal Church. It is the Catholic Church. There is a need everywhere and therefore I am ready to go."

"The societies are a providential gift to the Church. Let us pray to the Lord of the Mission to help you come out with a clear understanding and plan of our great task of evangelization,"

"Priests must take into consideration the main message of Pope Francis, in which he asks to give life to a Church with a priestly path of holiness and not of perfection."

"The people of Liberia are very religious people who believe and hope in eternal life. Liberians have suffered much and continue to have a difficult life, but they also have great patience – and they know how to be happy and enjoy life. I hope that this night of Ebola will pass away as soon as possible, and that we can fully enjoy life again. Ultimately, our hope is always the same: we hope in Jesus Christ who has overcome suffering and death. We are sure that He will not disappoint us."

"The Holy See gives voice to those who have no voice. This is perhaps a poetic way to phrase it. But I would like to point out that this is the most challenging, interesting, sometimes difficult, but always gratifying side of my daily activity. I am referring to dioceses, associations, religious congregations, and individuals who turn to us, confident that we can help them to meet with and present to the right offices and persons their views and requests, which are usually humanitarian in nature."

"The missions are recorded in the DNA of the Church in Poland, which was born, grew up and was formed in society through the Missionary activities of its patron."

"Preaching is difficult due to differences in language, traditions, laws and social resistance. So we are preaching first of all in the language of love by caring for the poor, the abandoned, the young and the old, by helping the suffering and visiting those in hospitals and prisons. The response is good. People notice that we are with the poor. It is not propaganda, but concrete presence."

"I say that coming to the Holy Land is also a nice gesture of solidarity. It helps to know that other Christians - despite everything - come here."

"World Youth Day in Sydney was a moment of great grace. And now, it is very important that the WYD spirit remains alive through creative initiatives, designed to promote and renew youth ministry in Australia."

"The Christian life really starts from an inner renewal, from a conversion: the return to God. I believe it is a good opportunity to rediscover the foundations of the fundamental choice of Christian life: live it every day in relationship with others and in a dimension of solidarity and openness to the world."

"The unity of the Church and the unity of Christians in Nigeria should be a sign for the whole of society and an example for our Muslim brothers."

"Dialogue enables us to appreciate the qualities of the other person and it's also a stimulus for us, for in dialogue we need to be consistent witnesses. Interreligious dialogue always begins with the profession of one's faith. This avoids relativism."

"We are all disciples of Jesus, we are urged not to consider ourselves the owners, dominators of the faith of others. We are servants for the sake of Jesus."

"I believe that the words of the Holy Father have been an invitation to moderation, to dialogue, to negotiation to get through the tension and to see, to hope, that there are none of these... acts of revenge."

"Bring the situation in the Middle East to the attention of the international community. Everyone must respect the rules of law."

"2010 and 2011 are decisive years for Sudan's history. I am convinced that there is concrete hope for peace."

"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."

"Catechesis must be experiential, a true accompaniment in the experience of God, not a schooled catechesis where only an indoctrination or a teaching of knowledge is received."

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

"It is necessary to promote in the faithful the sense of responsibility and participation for a better awareness and a greater commitment to contribute to the life of the ecclesial community. In Israel, the Catholic Church of the Latin rite, as well as various parishes celebrating in Arabic, is present with a community in Hebrew that is rather composite and even variable, since many migrants of different origins are part of it. Pastorally and socially it appears lively as well as growing. It can be said that it is a highly symbolic reality, representing the Church of Christ within His people. The Catholic communities of the Melkite, Maronite, Greek-Catholic, Syrian-Catholic and Armenian rites that exist in Israel and Palestine also face the challenge of the dwindling number of the faithful and clergy as well as the scarcity of resources. They express the richness of faith, of liturgy, of the identity of the Christian East that must be protected. Moreover, being part of the Catholic Church as such, they are faithful to the Holy Father and attest to the universality of the Church of Christ, not only geographically but also in temporal terms, referring to the origins of the Church that is present in the Holy Land in a peculiar way with various rites of equal dignity."

"To find a way through dialogue the answer to the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria in a way which also gives guarantees to all its components for a better society. Of course the situation in Syria depends also on the balance of powers in the region and the good will of the international community as a whole. We know that there is a new distribution of powers in this region and so if there is not the presence of all the actors internationally, regionally and locally, there will be no answer to the situation in Syria."

"Fundamentalism, especially the kind which appropriates itself of a religious matrix, is never acceptable. It is a stance exploited merely as a means to justify extremism or even failure of a personal life or vision of the future."

"There's a need for meeting, for dialogue, for shared commitment, so that, in a world that is by now rushing towards globalization, the different religions, with their specific resources, may fulfil the expectations of promoting some truly human values."

"The goal of every reform and renewal in the Church is the holiness of its members. The Lord Jesus calls on us constantly to follow the path of ecclesial communion, Catholic faith and holiness in our times, especially among pressing ecclesial and social challenges."

"The mandate remains the same, as the same is Jesus Christ "yesterday, today and forever", and his Gospel, while recipients change and the social, cultural, political and religious situations in which they live."

"Churches and monasteries everywhere should not be seen only as "cultural treasures" needing to be preserved materially, but also with due respect for the conditions that enable Christian communities to practice their faith freely in those centres."

"The Church is expected, even in the middle of human weakness and error, to guard, in obedience and veneration, the Gospel Christ has entrusted to her. The Pope is not the creator of the faith, but the custodian of the Gospel."

"I believe that diversity should be a mutual gift, enriching interpersonal and social relationships, opening minds and hearts to those who are different. Yet if we place too much emphasis on what distinguishes us, then peculiarities and nationalisms inevitably resurface, with the consequence that differences become obstacles or, even worse, walls. A Christian, the word itself indicates, even before belonging to a nation, belongs to Christ, who gave his life for us."

"May we always be sincere and courageous heralds of peace, without forgetting that there is no peace without justice and there is no justice without forgiveness."

"This Pope has removed two or three bishops per month throughout the world because either the accounts in their dioceses were a mess or their discipline was a disaster."

"It's important to work together. And to transmit this necessity of continuing to help these people, to assist these people, with prayers and spiritual assistance, but also with concrete assistance...to contact authorities, to engage more in promoting peace and development. Also because it's the best way to avoid the problem of migration. Instead of trying to cover the emergency here (in Europe), to try to solve the problems at the root so that people don't have to leave their countries."

"We encourage, especially the Christians, we encourage them to remain there because we think that their presence is so important for the country. Not just for the Church, that is so important, but also for society because they can play a very important role. And to encourage them to remain I always tell them that they have a very special mission that no one can play in their place. They have a special mission of being Christians in the Holy Land, of being Christians in a context that is difficult but is very necessary."

"I thank the Lord for choosing me to show this people with my presence the affection and closeness of the Holy Father. My presence has also built a bridge between the Church in Korea and the Church here: we have many Korean missionaries in Bangladesh."

"Relations between Catholicism and Buddhism are based on mutual respect."

"Haiti is a very poor country. It gets a lot of negative publicity in the media because of the natural disasters, the political instability, and the violence. What I discovered here was an enormously gifted people, very creative artists, musicians, writers, and poets."

"Since this office has also been entrusted to me, each element takes on a deeper meaning."

"An administrator is neither a master nor a slave who cannot decide anything, but one who is given a responsibility by the Master."

"As Church, we are called to discern God's voice and read history not just with human criteria but especially in the light of God's word and there we can discover where the Lord wants to lead us, as a Church, as a society, as a single faithful."

"Even today God may continue to call people to Himself, so that others may discover the mercy and the forgiveness of God, so that others may know that they have a Father who is in heaven. Without our testimony, the Gospel could not continue to manifest that God loves man. In fact, this is our message, the message of which we are heralds: God loves man."

"As young Deacons, you have to push yourself as hard as possible to get as far as possible and to be of service as much as possible even to the point that you fall asleep while standing so to say."

"The idea of secularization is not possible in the Middle East. The idea of secularization is a concept that does not exist in the Middle East for both Christians and Muslims because in the Middle East people are by nature religious. It is much better to speak about citoyenneté, "citizenship for all" whereby the citizens are allowed to pursue their own religious values. Islam is not just religion but is both religion and culture. Every act of a Muslim has both a religious and cultural value."

"The Japanese by nature struggle to express their feelings, even with the idea of not loading their problems on others. So, in this cultural context, a verbal message and effective closeness and solidarity on behalf of those who do not criticize, but only encourage and pray, has a great value."