It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the church's pastors wherever it occurs. ... The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in work, in action and in law.

But Palm Sunday tells us that ... it is the cross that is the true tree of life.

Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for the entire human family.

God is always faithful to His promises, but He often surprises us in the way He fulfills them.

Prayer, as a means of drawing ever new strength from Christ, is concretely and urgently needed.

While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.

It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives.