Catholics From India

"With everyone's sincere cooperation, this can be done and if I fail, it will be the failure of the archdiocese."

"The church will continue to support the constitutional rights of the people of this region to protest against anything that threatens their lives and the local ecosystem."

"We understand one another and we are able to work together for the good of society. Through this dynamic of frequent meetings, in spite of provocations, we are able to maintain peace."

"God will show his mercy on humanity and end the series of pandemic deaths. As we cannot do much in our human capacity, I am sure God will surely intervene."

"I am very much convinced that I need to be empowered by God daily. Only then can I do something worthwhile. Once we grow in love everything else will fall in line."

"My stay and prayer will be moved to the protest venue from the archbishop's house if required. Fishermen and the Christian community believe Christ and the cross as everything in their lives. We know Christ died at the age of 33. His death brought liberation for humanity. We fight for justice trusting in Christ. We have nothing to lose."

"It will help Gorkha people safeguard their language and ethnic culture which they consider under threat.Gorkha people to have dialogue and solve the problem, or else the situation will be out of control."

"The people who need your attention are the poor and not the rich."

"The Church is with you in spite of all the vulnerable situations in which it is entrapped. We are with you and we wish to learn your life and enthusiasm and don't be afraid of your faith."

"We must realize that sustainable development comes only through eco-friendly living. God created man and put him in Eden as its custodian, but he sinned against God. The first sin is the first attempt of man against God and nature."

"As a representative of the Christian community here in Udaipur, I appeal for peace and harmony among all the communities. We stand for religious tolerance, dialogue and peaceful co-existence among all the communities. I pray that good sense may prevail among us all."

"We are living in a democratic setup where each citizen is entitled to their freedom of speech and expression, according to the Constitution, so everyone is free to say whatever they want. However, people should do so thoughtfully, based on some intellectual argument within the framework of law and order. I haven't received any threat calls until now, even if I do I'm not afraid of anyone. I am an Indian Christian and I am proud of both parts of my identity."

"Though the people are poor in terms of development and financial security, they are very rich in their faith. Our people are longing for the Word of God and the Sacraments. If our people are not fed by the Word and the Sacraments and strengthened in their Catholic faith there is the danger that many more will leave the Church to join other denominations or cult groups."

"This appointment of mine as a cardinal I believe is a privilege for the Telugu region and will grow the faith of the Church in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I am a Dalit, so this is good news for Dalit Catholics and for the entire Church in India. I believe it will bring the encouragement of Pope Francis to many."

"A communicator makes all things to all people, so that as St Paul said: we are able to save some people for the sake of the Gospel."

"This action carried out by Hindu radicals was completely senseless and gratuitous. Indian citizens are free to practice their religion according to the constitutional provisions of India. But this freedom has been reduced in recent times, as evidenced by the incident."

"You call me son of the soil. I am proud of that. But that emboldens me to insist on your whole-hearted cooperation."

"I feel small, but happy that the Lord uses me as an instrument to spread his message. Music is a powerful instrument to get to the people, while entertaining people I give them Christ's message."

"Instrumentum Laboris No. 30 mentions those who believe in Christ as God but do not wish to embrace Christianity. But there is another group that accepts Jesus and wishes to be baptized, but because of serious reasons does not ask for baptism. My concern is the pain and anguish of these "believers"."

"The insistence of the personal rather than territorial aspect of evangelization is essential for the very existence and flourishing of Oriental Churches. Accepting this reality we should allow all these Churches to grow hand in hand with mutual respect and collaboration so that the territorial demarcations do not suffocate the Christian message which these Churches are trying to communicate, each in its own way, naturally adding new dimensions to the cultural and ethnic diversity of Asia."

"Faith and hope in Jesus through Mary is the basis of your spirituality and the good works you achieve, like Monfort you show mercy to the poor and the suffering."

"We owe no one any apology for being Christians and Indians. This is our birthright and is enshrined in our Constitution. At the same time we must avoid demonizing those who attack us. They are also human beings like us even if their ideology sometimes blinds them and blunts their consciences. There is no substitute to dialogue in all its dimensions."

"Inculturation is not a superficial strategy for the propagation of our faith, but the very nature and identity of our mission, on the very pattern of God's mission manifested through Jesus in the dialogue of salvation. Only when the Church dialogues with the cultures of Asia, giving birth to Asian forms of Christian spirituality, prayer and worship, theology and lifestyle, will we grow as fully Asian and authentically Christian Churches."

"I want to entrust everything of what I am and what I do in the hands of God. Unless God works nothing will work both in my life as well as in the lives of the people of my diocese."

"Jesus Christ came into the world, to heal a world divided by hatred and prejudice. The Lord Jesus Christ teaches that it is possible to forgive if we make God's love our own."

"I'm happy that I'm a Catholic, Jesus is my hope and he is everything to me."

"Today, Christians can celebrate this feast with full conviction that Christ has given a fuller meaning to the festival of light."

"I spent the last ten years working in Bidar, and there was a lot of work to do. We set up a tight network of social programmes which were never enough though. People here live under the yoke of poverty."

"The presence of Mother Teresa is for India and for the world today is like a new incarnation that brings salvation, redemption, and freedom for all those in strife. Only a person led by God could do what Mother did: gather children, terminally ill, poor and abandoned, and restore their dignity. The Church is always on the side of the poor through works of education, social development, and education. We are a Church that promotes the dignity of the Dalits, the outcasts, that works for social justice, according to Gospel values."

"The most urgent need is the development of our people, which implies their access to education, healthcare, social-economic emancipation. The Church places herself at the service of the human person in his entirety. Thus, the faith has grown a lot in the area and we can see a clear increase in the number of priests and parishes."

"If political leaders and ministers publicly mingled, supported and received the accused from the prison, it has not only demoralized the Christians but also other minority communities in the country."

"The all-important virtue of episcopal leadership is service."

"Today, I believe that turning the place into a center of service to the poor and suffering would be a wonderful way to end the dispute and give a story that has generated hatred and murder a happy ending for the whole nation."

"This place is new to me and people are new. The only advantage I have here is that I can start without prejudices and affiliations."

"We felt at this point in the history of Orissa to explain to the people the historical background of the persecution of the Church, the history of the Christians who for centuries who have been persecuted for bearing the name of Christ and for the faith. The early Church went through great hardships and martyrdom; its members were often persecuted and massacred. But history has shown that persecution ultimately strengthens the Church."

"What did I preach? That if you see someone in need of assistance and you have the means to assist him and if you don't, then you are committing a sin. That is what we say in church. I thought if we preach this, then when an opportunity comes we can't shirk away. I didn’t think twice. If you think twice, then we won't do many things. Because then you think of the risks."

"Pastoral workers must learn their language in order to communicate with them and touch their hearts. It is essential for an evangelization that is zealously carried out from town to town, as well as in offering education in the schools that are opened along with the parishes, thanks to the work of religious and lay personnel."

"The more we are in harmony with nature the more human we become."

"The true faith of the people of God is surely and principally rooted in the faith and piety of the mother of the family who can also be a key person in fostering vocations. Tribal women are very good catechists. If they are trained well in their faith, they have a great advantage over men catechists. If tribal women are trained as evangelizers, they will be great carriers of the Gospel of Jesus."

"Through our Catholic schools we are able reach out to numerous families in our country. If teachers are aware of their mission the effects of students will soon be seen. Our teachers will only be appreciated if their life style is in keeping with that of Jesus, the greatest Teacher of all."

"We support the struggle for rights and equal opportunity of Dalit Christians. The Church is always on the side of the poor and the excluded. We ask all Indian states, the federal government, institutions, public officials, and police, for full respect towards religious leaders committed to the promotion of human rights."

"Love needs to be the mark in all our missionary efforts. Many times we hear criticism about our institutions and our social and charitable works- they have become "institutionalized". Good works without love may attract outwardly, because of their academic excellence, or professional quality, and their ability to achieve. But this is not real evangelization."

"It is true that sometimes small groups of fanatics can give us concern, but the Church will continue in its mission to pray for the new government and contribute to the common good of the nation, supporting democracy, respect for pluralism, the rights of all and a secular concept in the political agenda."

"Today, we feel the urgency to do something for authentic peace. We as citizens and as religious communities in India and Pakistan can and will promote a culture of peace to defuse hatred, disarm hearts, and educate people to forgiveness."

"We are able to have a voice, thanks be to God. Although we are a very small minority, we are not a hidden minority."

"My missionary work will be one of removing darkness from the minds of people and enlightening them with the message of Christ. It will help them see the others as their own brothers and sisters, spread good feelings of cordiality, brotherhood and peace among people, even if they belong to different religions or castes. They will, in short, think of the other person or their neighbour as their own."

"I am from Kandhamal, and I remember the constant threats and discriminations under which I grew up. The violence has only strengthened the faith of our people. They have stood firm. This remembrance has become a part of our life. This is not just remembrance. We need to defend our religious freedom and raise voices."

"As a pastor and liturgist, I firmly believe modern channels of communication should not be overlooked but integrated into religion and culture. In the Bible, we see how God communicates with his people by various means: chosen persons, signs and wonders, natural phenomena. Jesus used words and signs to get across to people. The apostles and successive generations used the best means available to evangelize. Why not use the best in the fast changing world of communication for the cause of Jesus?"

"For our part, we hope to restore peace and reconciliation through dialogue and reaffirm the need for Christians to respect all other believers."

"Our method of evangelising is in fact to promote respect for the dignity of every person"