Catholics From Germany

"With deep gratitude and joy we welcome the election of the new Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI . The choice of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger turns our Church in the right direction. We can be sure the Holy Father will continue the work of his predecessor and we know we can rely on him to guide the Church towards God with great responsibility."

"At sea the most insignificant events seem to amuse everybody, and become the topic of the day."

"Non ci sono due Ratzinger, ce n'è uno solo che pratica la teologia non contro ma con la Chiesa. Per scrivere la sua biografia ho intervistato più di cento persone che lo conoscono, sono andate a scuola con lui, hanno studiato sotto di lui o per lui. E come giornalista che lo ha accompagnato per quasi 30 anni, sono convinto che questa definizione sia sbagliata."

"He is the most widely read theologian of the contemporary age, with over 13 million copies of his books on Jesus in circulation. Symposiums on him are held all over the world."

"From the outset, Bergoglio wanted to break with papal continuity, challenge what had been handed down, confuse it or simply cause "chaos", as Javier Martinez-Brocal says in his new book."

"He had been in a wheelchair for some time, and his voice was barely audible. But his spirit was still alert. He conveyed great sadness about what is happening in Europe, the war and the situation of the Church. I asked him, Pope Benedict, why he had not yet met death. He replied that he felt he had to stay, as a witness to what he represented, a sign of his direction, of Christ's message, of the desire to strengthen the conscience of the faith and, above all, not to think about adulterations and structural changes."

"Islam has a total organization of life that is completely different from ours; it embraces simply everything. There is a very marked subordination of woman to man; there is a very tightly knit criminal law, indeed, a law regulating all areas of life, that is opposed to our modern ideas about society. One has to have a clear understanding that it is not simply a denomination that can be included in the free realm of a pluralistic society."

"We have such difficulty understanding this renunciation today because the relationship to marriage and children has clearly shifted. To have to die without children was once synonymous with a useless life: The echoes of my own life die away, and I am completely dead. If I have children, then I continue to live in them; it's a sort of immortality through posterity. ..."

"The renunciation of marriage and family is thus to be understood in terms of this vision: I renounce what, humanly speaking, is not only the most normal but also the most important thing. I forgo bringing forth further life on the tree of life, and I live in the faith that my land is really God - and so I make it easier for others, also, to believe that there is a kingdom of heaven. I bear witness to Jesus Christ, to the Gospel, not only with words, but also with this specific mode of existence, and I place my life in this form at his disposal."

"Celibacy is not a matter of compulsion. Someone is accepted as a priest only when he does it of his own accord."

"Bishop Baltes soon made himself felt by the indomitable energy with which he introduced order and uniformity in matters of liturgy and discipline."

"Judas gave greater scandal than even the High Priests: his conduct was more painful to Christ and to his Apostles, and to the whole Church, than was that of Pilate, or of those who nailed the Savior to the cross. Wherefore, warn all, not only against secret societies, but also against all societies of Catholics whose rules or practices are not in harmony with the spirit of the Church."

"The widespread awakening of a critical rationalistic spirit, which has already questioned the feasibility of many caste observances, will eventually work harm to the claims of Hinduism itself. All this augurs well for the cause of truth."

"I only embrace Christianity in general and renew the covenant of my baptism, but that I in no way agree to bind myself to any creed concerning which I am not convinced as to whether or not it is the Church established by Christ."

"Since it is contradictory to natural reason to hold anything to be true without sufficient evidence that it is so, all that revelation proposes to us, must be shown to possess sufficient natural evidence."

"He continued to promote the progress of the Church until his death."

"His missionary labors were so successful that the church couid not contain the numbers who came to hear him."

"In its essence Hermes' theological system, or "Hermesianism", was rationalism; and, though in many respects opposed to the doctrines of Kant and Fichte, it was strongly influenced by them."

"He at once espoused the cause of workman in their difficulties with the employers in the furniture factories, skilfully averted a panic, and contributed much to bring about and agreement."

"While Gropper no doubt accomplished much good by his opposition to the innovations of the reformers, it is but too evident that his zeal for union sometimes led him to sacrifice Catholic principles."

"Well educated himself, he demanded solid learning in his clergy. He was known as a good and fluent speaker."

"Prayers are inspiring and sometimes challenging. To "pray and ask, to ask and pray" is to find the answer in God."

"Marriage, a lasting and personal union of a man and a woman, is a solid institution which offers a frame for a relationship of fidelity and the founding of a family. Instead of trying to invent alternatives to marriage we should ask ourselves: what can we do as Church and as politicians to promote successful marriages? If the Catholic Church is in favour of marriage it is because she is convinced that marriage is the life-form which corresponds best to human nature and it represents a splendid opportunity for the personal growth of husband and wife."

"In the short space of two years and nine months he proved himself to be a zealous, indefatigable worker, and charitable to an extreme."

"The most efficient testimonial of Christians in the next millennium will not be the critical attitude, rather it will be the attitude of joyous thankfulness for the gift of Divine life. Christians who are joyful in the Church and say "yes" to the Church, will also be able to promote enthusiasm for the Church in other people. Love for the Church, our love for the Church must always be clear and perceptible, even when we are critical of it."

"The diligence and talents of the future bishop attracted the attention of the pioneer missionary, Martin Fox, who at once took a lively interest in him."

"He found the administration of his diocese a work of great difficulty, as his flock embraced people from every country in Europe."

"There is vastly more in the life of a saint than appears on the surface. In order that it receive just treatment it should be written by a saint."

"The more supernatural and sublime the ideas, the ruder is their collision with reality and the more allowance must made for the feebleness of man."

"He has founded new parishes, aided struggling ones, reorganised the parochial school system, provided for the orphans and promoted all good works."

"The History of the Church is a record of the mercies of God on the human family. Considered in this light, the view that history is self-glorification is narrow in the extreme, and lacks the Christian instinct referring all things to God. The same holds good, be it the history of the Church in general, or of any portion of it. The purpose always is the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Such is the issue, and not the individual, not the missionary, not the priest; and therefor the Church records should be kept accurately and not withheld from publication. Gratitude prompts us to thank and glorify the Giver on High."

"We must take care of people who have lost everything, who are traumatized and in need of care."

"Without trust there can be no progress. Ecumenical collaboration is not a strange word for us."

"We hope that the awareness of the necessity of transmitting the faith by relating more to the content of the face that this will be taken over by the local churches."

"As Christians, we trust in the help and the grace of God. Besides even political leaders say that Christians are very important for the future of the nation, as bearers of values and humanism that can help social and religious groups to unite and build a harmonious, correct and fraternal society."

"The creators of this constitution had created a firm foundation against the background of our history that unites Christianity and the Enlightenment, faith and reason. The 75th anniversary of the Basic Law makes me look back with gratitude on this common foundation of our coexistence. It is important to think about how the Basic Law can be filled with life. For me as a Christian, this also includes maintaining an awareness of the question of how we are ultimately responsible for our actions."

"The important thing is that we ourselves pray along and that it is about our hearts. Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is not magic; it is prayer. We want to ask Our Lady with her heavenly power that the shedding of blood may stop, as soon as possible."

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a religious conflict, but a political one. It can only be solved politically. I see two tasks for the religious representatives. On the one hand, the religious authorities should contradict all those who try to turn this political conflict into a religious one. Secondly, it is their task to keep reminding people of fundamental values and norms that are common to all monotheistic religions and to motivate believers to do their utmost."

"God has made us participants of his life through Jesus Christ – and he does so again today. Born from participation is the particular, also one’s own witness of faith. We must so act that people seek and find God in all things, men and events. However the spiritual evolution of the last decades cannot be easily overturned. Proclamation of the Gospel is a long process. It requires much care of details, even apparently insignificant, from person to person, from family to family."

"We need to free ourselves from a practice of faith that is objectively individualistic, that does not take into consideration the fact that we are a community ("Communio") founded upon Baptism and the Eucharist. We have to free ourselves from a practice of faith that is objectively apolitical, that does not realize the Spirit of God will renew the face of the earth including the social, economic and political structures."

"The "preferential option for the poor," as we said in Catholic language, which is closely linked to the principle of solidarity, is to be understood in a social sense in addition to the economic dimension."

"Priests must be clearly aware of their identity and they need new enthusiasm for their mission. Facing tasks that have become even more difficult and more involved, many priests maintain that too much is expected of them; they get discouraged and give up. They need companions on their journey who help them and instill them with courage and can accompany them. The awareness that he who truly acts in the pastoral programme is Christ who frees from worries."

"The way he talked was fit to print. He loves to debate with you, not only about theology."

"We need philosophers! Working together we can solve all the country's problems."

"There's always the tendency to transform the Church into an ethical agency, and of measuring the Church by the yardstick of social and cultural utility. The mission proper to the Church is that of proclaiming the Gospel. But when one identifies the Church with a cultural and political bloc, there is the danger of making difficult the Church's contact with all those outside the bloc."

"The person does not realize himself in himself. He finds himself only by overcoming himself and is self-realized outside himself, that is going towards God and men. He can achieve happiness only indirectly through this double transcendence. In this sense, there is no need to condemn the entire process of individualism; it must be oriented towards the correctly understood Christian faith and the human personality."

"The gift of life is the highest good; we are convinced of that as Christians."

"It is absolutely clear that there are matters that we can only discuss at the level of the Universal Church. We will contribute from Germany with our reflections. However, I would like to reject the accusation repeatedly used of us being schismatics or of wanting to detach ourselves as the German national Church from Rome. Our bond with Rome and the Holy Father is very tight."

"It should be made clear that traditional values such as responsibility in a partnership and reliability are gender-neutral."

"The formation of leaders must be a preferencial preoccupation for pastors and bishops. Ecclesiality of its members is guaranteed by the experience of the triple priestly, prophetic and real dimension, in a community which must be a sign of the presence of God in the world."