Roman Catholic Bishops

"Q: Can the process for the appointment of new bishops be improved? Praedicate Evangelium states that "members of the people of God" must be involved. Is this happening? A: We had an interesting reflection among the members of the Dicastery on this issue. For some time now, not only some bishops or some priests, but also other members of the people of God are being heard. This is very important, because the bishop is called to serve a particular Church. Therefore, listening to the people of God is also important. If a candidate is not known by anyone among his people, it is difficult—not impossible, but difficult—for him to truly become pastor of a community, of a local Church. So, it is important that the process is a little more open to listening to different members of the community. This does not mean that it is the local Church that has to choose its pastor, as if being called to be a bishop was the result of a democratic vote, of an almost ‘political’ process. A much broader view is needed, and the apostolic nunciatures help a lot in this. I believe that, little by little, we need to open up more, to listen a little more to the religious, the laity."

"Please join me in thanking Our Lord for the election of Pope Leo XIV, Successor of St. Peter, as Shepherd of the Church throughout the world.The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse has a particularly strong bond with the Roman Pontiff, especially through its affiliation with the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major. I urge all pilgrims and friends of the Shrine to pray fervently for Pope Leo XIV that Our Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Peter the Apostle and Pope St. Leo the Great, may grant him abundant wisdom, strength and courage to do all that Our Lord asks of him in these tumultuous times. May God bless Pope Leo and grant him many years."

"This morning's meeting went very well. We also discussed the need to make the Church more collegial. He is an excellent Pope and received well over 100 votes."

"Today we desolately witness the unjust use of hunger as a weapon of war. Starving the population is a very cheap way of waging war. That is why today, when most conflicts are not fought by regular armies but by groups of armed civilians with few means, burning land, stealing livestock, blocking aid are tactics increasingly used by those who wish to control entire defenceless populations. Thus, in this type of conflict, the first military targets become the water supply networks and communication routes.Farmers cannot sell their produce in contexts threatened by violence and inflation skyrockets. This leads to huge numbers of people succumbing to the scourge of hunger and dying, with the aggravating factor that, while civilians are weakened by misery, the political summits grow fat on corruption and impunity."

"(Concerning Nostra Aetate) And so I, too, confirm that the church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself. We cannot deny that there have been misunderstandings, difficulties and conflicts in this period, but these have never prevented the dialogue from continuing. Even today, we must not allow political circumstances and the injustices of some to divert us from friendship, especially since we have achieved so much so far. Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours. Never in the relationship of Catholics and Jews since ‘Nostra Aetate’ has the Jewish people been more in need of friends who commit themselves to combating antisemitism with every fiber of their being. The Catholic Church has one of the largest megaphones available. It has moral suasion that is unparalleled. We hope that they will use all of the tools in their arsenal to double down in that effort."

"The priorities of pastoral work will always be different in one place or another, but recognising the great richness of the diversity of the People of God is tremendously helpful because it makes us more sensitive to reaching out and responding better to what is expected of us."

"Do you know how many stars there are in the observable universe? An impressive and marvellous number: a sextillion stars – a 1 followed by 24 zeros! If we divided them among the 8 billion inhabitants of Earth, each person would have hundreds of billions of stars to themselves. With the naked eye, on clear nights, we can see about five thousand of them. However, they show us a direction, just like when sailing at sea. Travellers have always found their way using the stars. Sailors followed the North Star; Polynesians crossed the ocean by memorising star charts. According to the farmers of the Andes, whom I met as a missionary in Peru, the sky is an open book that marks the seasons of sowing, shearing, and the cycles of life. Even the Magi followed a star to get to Bethlehem and worship the Baby Jesus."

"I don't think I'm revealing any secrets when I write that a long and warm round of applause followed that ‘I accept,’ which made him the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church. [...] I met Cardinal Prevost years ago, in connection with a thorny issue involving the Church in Peru. Even then, I saw in him a sense of balance, calmness, love for people and attention to detail. [...] Pope Leo XIV, he continues, is well aware of the world's problems, as he demonstrated from his very first words from the Loggia, evoking a ‘disarmed and disarming’ peace. [...] I am certain that he will find strength in the grace of the Lord, in his experience as a religious and in the example of the great Father Augustine, whom he mentioned in his first speech. We are close to him with our affection, our obedience and our prayers."

"It’s shocking, mind-numbing, mind-blowing. How do you describe that? I don’t know. I still haven’t figured out how to tell anybody what I feel, other than out of my head, crazy with happiness, pride, joy, love for my brother.When he made his appearance, then it became real. It’s one thing to hear the name, but when Rob came out onto the balcony and we saw him, it just brought tears to my eyes. You know that’s my little brother. He’s now pope. I don’t know how to describe it spiritually. He was special. When we were kids and went to play games, he wanted to play priest. How many little kids want to play priest, you know? As soon as he got out of eighth grade, he went directly into the seminary. It was like he knew what he wanted to do, and more power to him, and he’s been quite successful at it, right?"

"Sometimes the bishop risks focusing only on the local dimension. But a bishop should have a much broader vision of the Church and reality, and experience the universality of the Church. He also needs the ability to listen to his neighbour and seek advice, as well as psychological and spiritual maturity. A fundamental element of the portrait of a bishop is being a pastor, capable of being close to the members of the community."

"I am aware of the situation in the Church and society, with all its beautiful and painful aspects. This is my, this is our Church and society. I do not have another time or different circumstances. I want to do what is in my power here – to live, work and pray with you and for you, dear brothers and sisters. And if I succeed, at least a little, in confessing the faith of Thomas as my own, I shall know that I have not run the race in vain. Everything else is in God's hands."

"A person's faith can take on a special significance when living far from home. It provides a wonderful opportunity for migrants to come together with others to worship, it creates a strong bond and a supportive network to soften, to some extent, the isolation of emigration. While their circumstances and locations may change, God's love is a constant for them to hold on to."

"The bishop proposes the teachings, and says what is inconsistent with those teachings. But in terms of follow-through, he can't mandate conformity. He can do no more than teach and propose, and call the people to enflesh these in their political decisions, regarding the social and political life of our country. It's up to the people to apply the guidelines and principles to the particular situation."

"Ideologies have become more powerful than humanity's real experience, faith, and the different values we live by. Some will misunderstand unity as uniformity: ‘You must be like us.’ No, it cannot be so. Nor can diversity be understood as a way of living without criteria or order. The latter lose sight of the fact that since the very creation of the world, the gift of nature, the gift of human life, the gift of so many different things that we experience and celebrate, cannot be sustained by inventing my own rules and doing things my way. These are ideological positions. When an ideology becomes, so to speak, the master of my life, then I can no longer dialogue with another person because I have already decided how things will be. Therefore, I am closed to encounter and transformation cannot take place. And this can happen anywhere in the world, on any subject. This obviously makes it very difficult to be Church, to be community, to be brothers and sisters."

"One of the things that comes to mind when I think of St Augustine, his vision and his understanding of what it means to belong to the Church, is what he says about not being able to say you are a follower of Christ without being part of the Church. Christ is part of the Church. He is the head. So anyone who thinks they can follow Christ ‘in their own way’ without being part of the body is, unfortunately, a distortion of what is an authentic experience. St Augustine has an omnipresent wisdom that helps us to live in communion. Unity and communion are essential charisms of the life of the Order and a fundamental part of understanding what the Church is and what it means to be in the Church."

"Perseverance is a great gift that the Lord is ready to offer us. But we must learn to welcome it and make it come alive, to be strong. It is one of those gifts that are built up over time, in the small trials of the beginning that help us to be stronger, to be able to carry the Cross when it becomes heavier. It is what enables us and makes us capable of moving forward."

"Two events related to clergy sexual abuse have touched the figure of Prevost. The first dates back to the early 2000s, when, as Augustinian provincial in Chicago, he was involved in a case of hospitality to a priest already convicted of paedophilia. The second, more recent, concerns his episcopate in Peru: he allegedly handled an investigation into two priests accused of molestation with little transparency."

"Sinner: The ball, there it is. If you want to play a little. Pope Leo XIV: But we'll break something here! We'd better not."

"When God chooses you, you wonder, "Why me?" but you place yourself in God's hands and rejoice. Naturally, you also feel fear, asking, "Why did God choose me? How will I fulfill this mission?" But you trust because if God chose you, He believes you will accept and succeed. Today, my heart is filled with joy and wonder at God. It's a day to thank Him, to praise Him, and to once again place myself in His hands so that He can work through me."

"The only expectation I have is that I can serve men and God. I am not worried about what activity I will have. I will certainly be able to confess, listen and advise. For 48 years I have been a missionary in Patagonia. Now I feel that this appeal has been renewed in me: "Leave your land," because Patagonia is my land. It amazed me to hear again that call with such force and I was surprised to think that God has a new project for an 81-year-old."

"The whole community has to nurture vocations and every priest has to be a vocation director that you asked about growing up who inspired me well the biggest influence upon me were the parish priests, then I think families have to recognize how necessary and how essential the priesthood is to the life of the church and encourage their sons to consider a religious vocation if that be God's will."

"It will be a pontificate in continuity with the magisterium of Pope Francis. I am very happy about that. This is what the majority of the cardinals wanted ... but with a style of their own. [...] Pope Leo XIV, in his first message, spoke of a “synodal Church.” Having participated in the work of the Synod, we have a Pope who knows synodality, who understands it, who dares to be synodal. There will not be a revolution, but an evolution."

"As bishops, as presbyters and as deacons we're all invited in that ministry to bombard Heaven with our prayers. And each day as you speak with the Lord in prayer, like the prophets of old, you as new young prophets, you share in the ministry of your bishop and intercede unceasingly before God for your people."

"This mission of love is a mission of silent caring for others. Only if people ask why they do this, do they share their faith in Christ. This way of evangelising is in keeping with the oriental tradition which has great respect for others."

"The Church should play an active role in people's lives; it should reach out to them wherever they live and try to understand what their real needs are."

"elations between the African Bishops, missionary institutes and the other agents of evangelisation are generally good. But it is precisely because of the huge potential for the Church in Africa and the need to define and respect various roles and charisms, that new inculturated structures for dialogue are required. There is an urgent need for all involved in missionary activity - male and female, clerical and lay - to discuss, analyse and plan together."

"The Word of God has not penetrated deeply enough in the heart and mind of many of our Christians: they still have not managed to completely change their mentality: their culture has not been purified by the Word of God. Very often they are incapable of finding a solution to their problems and still turn, rather too easily, to the old customs."

"I would not trade this vocation for anything and loved working with all of the archbishops. I am glad I was not assigned anywhere else."

"Spirituality is just staying awake. Spirituality is the awareness that we are in God's presence."

"We, as Catholics, are meant to be engaged in the world, but our engagement is in the Lord."

"I wish the government would give priority to rehabilitation programs and treat drug addiction more as a sickness rather than a crime."

"These people are working for God and humanity. They are not being paid. They rely solely on people's assistance, goodwill and kind gestures for their survival. Why go after those working out your salvation? I cannot understand it."

"The mission of Christ is to teach all about repentance, conversion and to build the Kingdom of God. The constitution, carta magna, of the kingdom of God is the greatest and new commandment of love of God and our neighbour. Like Christ, the bishop must teach the law that commands us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. The greatest love is excelled in giving our life for God and others."

"At this time our Church is weighed down and under intense scrutiny because of failures in being true to the Gospel by individual members of the Church. This affects us all and could have caused me to hesitate in accepting this call to be your Bishop. However, I found hope and encouragement."

"Caritas is one big family made up primarily of little people with a big heart, who help those who are in a more difficult situation than we are. These people are our faithful, but also many people of good will in Croatia and in our diaspora."

"It is time that we recognize that morality and ethics determines what we believe and not our political party. Are we Catholic first or are we adherents to a political party and then Catholic?"

"They do not fight for others, but they fight for themselves. The Church calls, once again, on the authorities to identify the criminals and take all legal measures to punish the perpetrators and to prevent further shedding of innocent blood."

"A great man is gone, friend of all, who has done so much for the children of Chaco... a great priest, a great bishop."

"A name is not just a sound, it has a profound meaning. The problem is they do not think about what they are doing."

"If I thought that God was asking something of me, I've always tried to respond positively. I never thought I'd be out here in Chicago. I never thought that I would be a bishop. But when you say "yes" to God, there are all kinds of surprises along the way - and they're good."

"Each one of us is called by God to be a "preposition" in life, because, as the grammaticians will tell us, little things mean a lot."

"I will always remember the joy of getting to know the people, baptising their children, and then later being the celebrant at the wedding, being a shepherd to them during their times of trial but also rejoicing with them."

"I said if I want to do this I would want to live in a community. The Franciscans are always really down to earth and that appealed to me. They also have a very big outreach to the poor and that's something I was very drawn to. It's been life-giving to be able to give back to people who are in great need."

"This whole area of ministry is first and foremost the fulfilment of baptismal responsibilities. This demands lay participation in all areas of Church life, and calls for collaboration in ministry. Therefore, I call upon this Synod, firstly, to recognise that collaborative ministry is an imperative, not an option, and secondly, to allow Churches to shape ministries adapted to their particular pastoral priorities."

"If you have understanding, then you can build trust. If you have trust, you can build community and have respect for people's dignity."

"The Church of Rome is not spotless, it is not hard and pure like a utopia, whose only real quality would be that of not existing. Instead it exists, with its features marked strongly by time and space, by men and their stone constructions. Thus, the vocation of Rome is the incarnation of the faith."

"Russia wants to destroy Ukraine, to erase its existence as an independent national, cultural and state entity. Whoever does evil almost always tries to justify it with good. In this case, Russia claims that it is defending the Christian values that are being destroyed in Ukraine. It is not true that Russia is interested in defending Christian values. If they really wanted to defend Christian values, they would use Christian methods to do so."

"The Gospel message tells us that we are all created by God in His image and likeness, and we are all equal, and therefore we have to learn to live and work together and cooperate."

"It's not a job. It's not just vestments. We're supposed to reflect in our life an intimacy so profound that you see the presence of Jesus."

"A dedicated presence in the world is necessary, based on a realistic, but also hopeful vision of the society, even of a secularized society. I find that, perhaps because of difficult circumstances, there is a latent pessimism among Christians nowadays, sometimes leading to apathy and resignation, sometimes on the contrary to an activism mixed with bitterness, the so called "bitter zeal" of the spiritual literature. Both should be avoided."