We who are Christians, members of God’s family, are called to go out to the needy and to serve them.

If money and material things become the center of our lives, they seize us and make us slaves.

A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table, but above all to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being.

No one can remain insensitive to the inequalities that persist in the world ... the Brazilian people, particularly the humblest among you, can offer the world a valuable lesson in solidarity, a word that is too often forgotten or silenced because it is uncomfortable ... I would like to make an appeal to those in possession of greater resources, to public authorities and to all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world, marked by greater solidarity

We need to provide an education which teaches crit­ical thinking and encourages the development of mature moral values.

There is a danger that threatens everyone in the church, all of us. The danger of worldliness. It leads us to vanity, arrogance and pride.

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.