Television Personalities

"As I've said before, I’m ashamed of some of the inappropriate language I used in The Sun thirty years ago about gay stars. They were different times, but that’s no excuse – it was offensive, it was wrong, and I apologise for it."

"There are many different ways of categorizing news. It doesn't have to be just war and famine and serious politics."

"The Jimmy Savile scandal grows more horrific by the minute [...] I never met him... (Mail on Sunday column October 2012)"

"Don't chase women, they will chase you… They are like horses in a pasture: if you don't go drooling over her, she is going to want to know why."

"There is a type of snobbish, pompous journalist who thinks that the only news that has any validity is war, famine, pestilence or politics. I don't come from that school. I certainly appreciate those kinds of stories. I've certainly devoted a lot of time on my show to them. But I also have a much broader spectrum of what I think is interesting, relevant, current or newsworthy."

"As I left, Jimmy Savile came up to me. "Your TV shows are BRILLIANT!" he exclaimed. "And as I’ve been in the telly business for 50 years, you can take that as an informed view." I’ve always loved Jimmy Savile. (Mail on Sunday "Night and Day" column, 2009)"

"There is a certain advantage to the British accent. I do notice that Americans love it; they think that we Brits are smarter than perhaps we are."

"[On the fake photos of British troops abusing Iraqi prisoners for which he was fired as editor of the Mirror] I refused to apologize or accept that we had necessarily been duped. I still don’t accept it — I’ve never seen the evidence"

"Liberals have become utterly, pathetically illiberal and it’s a massive problem. What’s the point of calling yourself a liberal if you don’t allow anyone else to have a different view? You know, this snowflake culture we operate in, this victimhood culture that everyone, has to think in a certain way, behave a certain way. Everyone has to have a bleeding heart… You say a joke 10 years ago that offended somebody you can never host the Oscars… So what’s happening around the world? Populism is rising because people are fed up with the PC culture. They’re fed up with the snowflake culture. They’re fed up with everyone being offended by everything… They just want to tell people, not just how to lead their life but if you don’t lead it the way I tell you to. It’s a kind of version of fascism."

"Right, now all you have to do – and I know it's hard because celebrities don't like doing anything for themselves – is actually change your security number."

"I had more complaints from people who wanted to be in who weren't than from those who were in. Given that there was a lot of score-settling, I was surprised no one took me on, and disappointed actually."

"I actually didn’t care that much about the [[Jeremy Clarkson|[Jeremy] Clarkson]] stuff until he began behaving ridiculously, smacking me round the head. He’s perfectly entitled to smack me around the head, but the idea that smacking editors will help your PR is rather short-sighted."

"I like waging feuds [...] They get me going and make me perform better. I don't start them but I always finish them."

"Bill O’Reilly is like a comfortable pair of shimmeringly angry slippers, but you know every night what you’re going to get."

"The liberals get what they want, which is a humorless void where nothing happens, where no one dare do anything, or laugh about anything, or behave in any way that doesn't suit their rigid way of leading a life. No thanks."

"[As editor of the Bizarre feature in The Sun newspaper] I became the Friend of the Stars, a rampant egomaniac, pictured all the time with famous people - Madonna, Stallone, Bowie, Paul McCartney, hundreds of them. It was shameless, as they didn't know me from Adam. The Sun had had a bad time, after losing an action with Elton John, but this was harmless and funny. The publicity people from the record companies were all in on the joke."

"[On his promotion to editor of the News of the World] I got a call one day, asking me to see Rupert Murdoch in Miami. I suspected it must be something good, but I never expected this. I was flabbergasted. Obviously, Kelvin [MacKenzie] had helped, but you have to realise I was filling the column five days a week, running it like a mini newspaper. I had a staff of four and my own budget. I had been offered promotion, as features editor of the Sun, but turned it down, feeling I wasn't ready yet to be a faceless executive."

"[On revealing a pop star's adultery] If X is singing about love and marriage, and sleeping with the nanny, then he deserves to be exposed."

"[Did he enjoy his first year as editor of the News of the World?] Very much. It's been a very interesting year. At my age, I probably wasn't expected to survive, but I'm glad to be still here. Oh, if you don't mind, I'd rather not be seen in the photograph with a drink in my hand, if you don't mind"

"I've always made it a strict rule in life to ingratiate myself with three categories of people: newspaper owners, potential newspaper owners and billionaires. This is a despicablle, shameless but often successful modus operandi that hasn't to date done me much harm."

"[On journalism] It is full of lying, cheating, drunken, cocaine-sniffing, unethical people. It's a wonderful profession."

"There was a spate of stories that came out because of mobile phones. When they first came out, mobile phones ... journalists found out that if the celebrity hadn't changed their pin code ... You can access, access their voicemail. Just by tapping in a number. Are you really telling me that journalists aren't going to do that? If they know they can ring up Charlotte Church's mobile phone, listen to all her messages?"

"The European Parliament,"

"The Patriarch cannot transform himself into Putin's altar boy."

"Today we are targeting the enablers and perpetrators of Putin’s war who have brought untold suffering to Ukraine."

"At the same time, Patriarch Kirill (as well as numerous bishops and priests in Russia) directly violate the norms of the Fundamentals of the Social Doctrine. In particular, this document clearly states that the Church cannot provide assistance to the state and cooperate with it if the state is waging an aggressive foreign war (III). Today, the actions of the Russian Federation against Ukraine are nothing but an aggressive foreign war. This fact is recognized by the whole world community. In particular, on March 2, 2022, 141 countries supported the resolution of the UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. But both Patriarch Kirill and the numerous clergy in Russia continue to support the aggressive foreign policy of the Russian Federation. Thus, the position of the Moscow Patriarchate on the war against Ukraine does not correspond to the norms of Christian morality, or even to its own normative documents."

"In 2021, in an interview on the occasion of his 75th birthday, Patriarch Kirill said: “For me, as the Patriarch of All Russia, there is no division into nations and states, but the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church” (http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/5863267.html). Although Patriarch Kirill has always stressed that he does not question the existing state borders, he nevertheless stated that these borders “create unnecessary obstacles between the peoples of the Russian world” (http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/928446.html )."

"All these statements are in full agreement with Russian state propaganda, which rejects the very fact of the existence of the Ukrainian nation and Ukrainian culture, and therefore does not actually recognize the right of Ukrainians to their own statehood. Thus, the doctrine of “Russian Peace “, which has been promoted for many years by Patriarch Kirill, today helps to justify Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine."

"We see the brutal actions of the Russian army against the Ukrainian people, which are actually approved by Patriarch Kirill. As pastors of the Church, and simply as Christians, we have always been, are, and will be with our people, with those who suffer and need help. We fully support the Ukrainian state authorities and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in their fight against the aggressor."

"Human Rights Without Frontiers, a Brussels-based NGO, appeals to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim A. A. Khan QC, to hold personally accountable and prosecute Vladimir Mikhaïlovitch Goundiaïev, known as Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia,"

"The actions of Patriarch Kirill caused mass outrage among the clergy and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. At least fifteen dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have already officially announced that they will stop commemorating Patriarch Kirill during Church services. We know that in many other dioceses the ruling bishops gave verbal permission to the clergy not to mention the name of Patriarch Cyril. Thus, bishops, priests, and ordinary parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church expressed their unequivocal distrust of Patriarch Kirill."

"We clearly state that it is impossible for us to continue to be in any form of canonical subordination to the Moscow Patriarch. This is what our Christian conscience dictates."

"Go bravely to fulfill your military duty. And remember that if you lay down your life for your country, you will be with God in his kingdom, glory and eternal life."

"Forgiveness without justice is capitulation and weakness."

"We pray that the Lord admonish those madmen and help them to understand that any desire to destroy Russia will mean the end of the world."

"Russia has never attacked anyone."

"Pride parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one variation of human behavior. That's why in order to join the club of those countries, you have to have a gay pride parade."

"Today, when Moscow Patriarch Kirill openly supports Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we, the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, have decided to appeal to the Council of Primates of the Ancient Eastern Churches against Patriarch Kirill."

"I take the suffering of people caused by the events taking place with deep and heartfelt pain. I call on all parties to the conflict to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties. I appeal to the bishops, pastors, monastics, and laity to provide all possible assistance to all victims, including refugees and people left homeless and without means of livelihood. The Russian and Ukrainian peoples have a common centuries-old history dating back to the Baptism of Rus’ by Prince St. Vladimir the Equal-to-the-Apostles. I believe that this God-given affinity will help overcome the divisions and disagreements that have arisen that have led to the current conflict. I call on the entire fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church to offer a special, fervent prayer for the speedy restoration of peace. May the All-merciful Lord, through the intercession of our Most Pure Lady the Theotokos and all the saints, preserve the Russian, Ukrainian, and other peoples who are spiritually united by our Church!"

"Moreover, since the beginning of the war, Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly made public statements that contained de facto support for the Russian Federation’s aggressive actions against Ukraine. On March 13, 2022, during the liturgy in the Church of Christ the Savior, Patriarch Kirill presented the Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard of the Russian Federation VV Zolotov with an icon of the Mother of God and gave his blessing to the employees of this state military organization. In his speech of thanks, VV Zolotov directly said that the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation are taking an active part in the war waged by Russia against Ukraine today. At the same time, he called the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Nazis.” After hearing Zolotov’s words, the patriarch did not object. Patriarch Kirill’s blessing of the Russian National Guard was an unequivocal endorsement of the war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine."

"Despite the fact that Patriarch Kirill for many years in his public statements (including during visits to Ukraine) stated that he considers the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine to be his flock for which he is responsible, today he directly blesses the physical destruction of this flock by Russians troops."

"We are truly a free country. This is a real fact. I can imagine the types of reaction to my words from different corners, but I can prove that Russia today is the true leader of the free world. We are developing in accordance with our own path and, by God’s will, our path shall be successful."

"We, the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in these tragic days, when the brutal war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine continues, consider it our pastoral duty to address the fullness of World Orthodoxy."

"On February 24, 2022, Russian troops invaded the territory of the sovereign Ukrainian state without declaring war. The military aggression has been going on for more than a month. Russian troops are systematically destroying not only military infrastructure, but also housing estates, civilian enterprises, schools, hospitals, theaters, etc. Ukraine’s economy is suffering heavy losses. But our greatest sorrow is that thousands of civilians have died during the war. The actions of the Russian army around Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Okhtyrka, Gostomel, Vorzel, and especially Mariupol and Bucha have obvious signs of genocide against the Ukrainian people and are causing outrage around the world."

"We currently do not have a hot-button issue that would make societal interests collide and produce deep, irreconcilable contradictions. I believe it is the grace of God."

"Unlike the West, which is already nervous about the arrival of refugees, Moscow alone has taken in more Muslims than the whole of Europe has done by now. And nobody in the world is aware of it. And there is no hysteria, no police, no gas, no physical clashes. Of course, problems do arise sometimes with people who arrive but these problems get solved within the law, and most importantly, the good Orthodox-Muslim relations are creating an atmosphere for Muslims here to live peacefully and for the Orthodox to treat Muslims respectfully, with tolerance, like brothers. You probably felt what remarkable, good relations have developed between the Orthodox people and Muslims in Russia. We are very glad that finally this big mosque has been built in the city of Moscow to become a place of prayer for many Muslims who live in Moscow and visit Moscow."

"Radical Islam, by the grace of God, is not spreading across Russia. These and other radically-minded people pose a huge danger to Russia. This is why everything that happens in the Middle East, in Syria, Iraq, Libya, concerns us very closely."

"The existence of Russia is of a great spiritual and cultural value – not only for you and me, but for all humanity. And we are calling for the preservation of the people of Russia, for the birth of our new compatriots, not only and not so much because these people are needed by the country, but also to a great extent because this country is needed by people. Russia must exist and play its irreplaceable role in our destiny with you, in the destiny of our descendants and throughout world history. The special value of Russia, its special vocation is to be a stronghold of Orthodox Christianity. To preserve the Orthodox faith, Orthodox tradition and culture, Christian moral principles intact. Maybe that is why the powers that be are so ganged up on the Russian Orthodox Church, wanting to tear away the Greek Orthodox world from the Russian Church, wanting to destroy the unity of the Orthodox Church. We possess reliable information that everything that is happening now in world Orthodoxy is not an accident, not just the whim of a religious figure whose mind has become clouded. This is the implementation of a very specific plan that aims to tear the Greek world away from Russia. According to the perpetrators — I cannot describe these strategists in any other way — the Russian Church appears to be some kind of “soft power”, through which Russia influences the world around it. But why can’t Russia share its spiritual gifts? Is it criminal? This can be criminal only in the view of those who seek to weaken, and if possible to destroy the influence of Russia. In this whole story related to the problem of recognition or non-recognition of Ukrainian schismatics by the Local Orthodox Churches, there is something that is not declared, but which is the main goal of the forces behind the scenes that unleashed this schismatic activity. We in the Russian Church understand this clearly, but today our brothers in Greece and other Orthodox Churches also understand this. We are being asked to resist, not to flinch, to continue the struggle to maintain the spiritual independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from all these centres of world influence, and most importantly – to maintain the unity of Universal Orthodoxy. This is not a simple task. The Church has no army. The Church has no material means. So it is not easy without material means to build the spiritual defense."

"If you cannot raise your child, whom you have given birth to or are ready to do it, – do not kill your child, give birth to him and give him to us, the Church, and we will do everything to raise and to help your child to stand on his own feet, and we will never prevent you, his mother, from visiting him, from feeling unity with your child. On the contrary, we will do everything to strengthen your family, albeit incomplete, but valuable for both God and for our entire Motherland."

"He sails on the GC32s, the fastest boats in the world that are the same boats used in the America’s Cup. Now he’s opened a medieval combat club so he does medieval combat. In the end, we look at each other and say, ‘We’re just going to have to accept who we are and pray.'"