I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down.

May every Church and Christian community be a place of mercy amid so much indifference.

The Church needs you, your enthusiasm, your creativity and the joy that is so characteristic of you.

Things from the heart don't have an explanation.

Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light.

I don't live in the papal residence. I live in a simple apartment behind the Vatican gas station.

When families bring children into the world, train them in faith and sound values, and teach them to contribute to society, they become a blessing in our world.