True peace is not a balance of opposing forces, and it is not ‘a lovely façade’ simply covering conflicts and divisions. Rather, peace calls for daily commitment -- it's homemade -- starting from God's gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ.

The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish.

This is God's way, the way of humility. It is the way of Jesus; there is no other. And there can be no humility without humiliation.

Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death

To use a telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it.

The right to life is the first among human rights.

The security of faith does not make us motionless or close us off, but sends us forth to bear witness and to dialogue with all people.