In a very real way, the poor are our teachers. They show us that people’s value is not measured by their possessions or how much money they have in the bank. A poor person, a person lacking material possessions, always maintains his or her dignity. The poor can teach us much about humility and trust in God.

On the ordination of women, the church has spoken and said no. John Paul II, in a definitive formulation said that door is closed.

We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment.

If sadness comes to you one day with an invitation, tell it you are committed to joy and will be faithful to it your whole life long.

I like to speak with the youth, and I like to hear the youth. They always put me in difficulty. They tell me things that I haven't thought of, or that I've partly thought of. The restless youth, the creative youth, I like them!

The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty!

We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.