Quotes about church
page 21

“You may observe yourself...what a difference there is between the true strength of this nation and the fictitious one of the Whigs. How much time, how many lucky incidents, how many strains of power, how much money must go to create a majority of the latter; on the other hand, take but off the opinion that the Crown is another way inclined, the church interest rises with redoubled force, and by its natural genuine strength.”

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678–1751) English politician and Viscount

Letter to Mr. Drummond (10 November 1710), quoted in Gilbert Parke, Letters and Correspondence, Public and Private, of The Right Honourable Henry St. John, Lord Visc. Bolingbroke; during the Time he was Secretary of State to Queen Anne; with State Papers, Explanatory Notes, and a Translation of the Foreign Letters, &c.: Vol. I (1798), pp. 16–17

Money, Way, Nature, Time

“A thousand departments of mental and physical activity foster and in turn are fostered by its achievement. People must be governed, and there must be those who govern. Laws must be made, and there must be those who study, and those who execute these laws. People must be taught, and there must be teachers. All these and the Church, the newspaper, the theatre, the fine arts are essential to the completeness of the State, to the happiness and safety of its people; but Commerce is the main stem, or trunk, where they are all branches, supplied with the sap of its far-reaching wealth. It is as necessary to the existence of any nation as blood to the physical man. That country in which trade flourishes is accounted happy, while that in which Commerce droops provokes shaking of heads and prophecies of downfall.”

Harry Gordon Selfridge (1858–1947) America born English businessman

The Romance of Commerce (1918), Concerning Commerce

Happiness, People, Law, Art

“The Catholic Church itself has been nearly killed by the infection of the puritanism of the Reformation.”

Coventry Patmore (1823–1896) English poet

Magna Moralia XLIX, p. 201.
The Rod, the Root, and the Flower (1895)

“...if the Catholick religion is destroyd by the Infidels, it is a most contemptible and absurd Idea, that, this, or any Protestant Church, can survive that Event. ... in Ireland particularly, the R[oman] C[atholic] Religion should be upheld in high respect and veneration. ... I am more serious on the positive encouragement to be given to this religion...because the serious and earnest belief and practice of it by its professors forms, as things stand, the most effectual Barrier, if not the sole Barrier, against Jacobinism.”

Edmund Burke (1729–1797) Anglo-Irish statesman

Letter to William Smith, Member of the Irish Parliament (29 January 1795), quoted in R. B. McDowell (ed.), The Correspondence of Edmund Burke, Volume VIII: September 1794–April 1796 (1969), p. 131
1790s

Religion, Idea

“Now, what is meant by the union between Church and State? ... I understand by it that authority is to be not merely political; that Government is to be not merely an affair of force, but is to recognize its responsibility to the Divine Power. Sir, we have discarded the divine right of Kings, and properly discarded it, because the divine right of Kings led to the abuse of supernatural power by individuals; but an intelligent age will never discard the divine right of Government. If Government is not divine, it is nothing. It is a mere affair of the police-office, of the tax-gatherer, of the guard-room.”

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and Prime Minister

Speech https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1868/apr/03/adjourned-debate#column_917 in the House of Commons (3 April 1868)

Age, Intelligence, Understanding

“I believe in loyalty. We should respect our church, but never believe that the church has the last word. The church is saying 'this', but I believe that sooner or later 'this' will change. 'This' is not the mind of our Lord. God is all love. It's a delicate balancing thing. The Church has changed its position over the years, and because the spirit is with the Church, in the end the Church will always get it right. But in the end. The spirit of the Church is the meaning of love, which hasn't yet, perhaps, been fully understood.”

Wendy Beckett (1930–2018) British Catholic nun and presenter of documentaries for the BBC on the history of art

Source: Sister Wendy Beckett, on same-sex marriage, from a Huffington Post interview titled 'Sister Wendy, My Semi-Spiritual Guide' dated 17 November 2007.

Love, God, Making love, Change

“The breakup of Christianity during the Reformation into national churches and the proliferation of denominations today would seem to indicate that a religious universality cannot be successfully maintained across racial and ethnic lines. ... Ethnicity will almost always triumph.”

Vine Deloria Jr. (1933–2005) American writer

Source: God Is Red (1973), p. 209

Universe

“The Western nations have four arms-defensive and offensive-the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Church.”

J. C. Kumarappa (1892–1960) Jōsaph Celladurai; b. 01/04/1892; economist; mem., Indian Planning Comm.; protagonist of Gandhian principle…

Shri J. C. Kumarappa. Can Indira Accept this Challenge? Dadoomiyan, S. Vijayanand Bharathi. Vora, 1966. as Quoted in Madhya Pradesh (India)., Goel, S. R., Niyogi, M. B. (1956, [1998 reprint]). Vindicated by time: The Niyogi Committee report on Christian missionary activities.

“This objection to reincarnation by Christians, on grounds of doctrinal fidelity, is sufficiently important to merit a somewhat detailed examination. From this it is found that reincarnation has neither been proclaimed nor condemned by any general council of the Church or by any creed accepted by a general council. The Council of Constantinople held in 543 A.D., which proclaimed heretical Origen’s teaching of the preexistence of the soul and affirmed the doctrine of special creation, was not a general council, and so not universally authoritative.”

Geoffrey Hodson (1886–1983) New Zealand occultist

Reincarnation & Christianity (1967)

Soul, Universe

“Western civilization, it seems to me, stands by two great heritages. One is the scientific spirit of adventure — the adventure into the unknown, an unknown which must be recognized as being unknown in order to be explored; the demand that the unanswerable mysteries of the universe remain unanswered; the attitude that all is uncertain; to summarize it — the humility of the intellect. The other great heritage is Christian ethics — the basis of action on love, the brotherhood of all men, the value of the individual — the humility of the spirit.
These two heritages are logically, thoroughly consistent. But logic is not all; one needs one's heart to follow an idea. If people are going back to religion, what are they going back to? Is the modern church a place to give comfort to a man who doubts God — more, one who disbelieves in God? Is the modern church a place to give comfort and encouragement to the value of such doubts? So far, have we not drawn strength and comfort to maintain the one or the other of these consistent heritages in a way which attacks the values of the other? Is this unavoidable? How can we draw inspiration to support these two pillars of western civilization so that they may stand together in full vigor, mutually unafraid? Is this not the central problem of our time?”

Richard Feynman (1918–1988) American theoretical physicist

remarks (2 May 1956) at a Caltech YMCA lunch forum http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/49/2/Religion.htm

Love, Men, God, People

“I fully declare my Opinion concerning the Principles of the Church of England, whose Members have shewed themselves so eminently Loyal in the worst of times, in Defence of my Father, and Support of my Brother, of Blessed Memory; that I will always take care to defend and support it. I will make it my Endeavour to preserve this Government both in Church and State, as it is now by Law Established; and as I will never depart from the just Rights and Prerogatives of the Crown, so I will never invade any Man's Property; and you may be sure, that having heretofore ventur'd my Life in the Defence of this Nation, I will still go as far as any Man in preserving it, in all its just Rights and Liberties.”

James II of England (1633–1701) King of England, Scotland and Ireland

Speech to Parliament https://www.british-history.ac.uk/commons-hist-proceedings/vol2/pp164-199 (22 May 1685)

Life, Making love, Law, Support

“If you're looking for the worst people, you'll find them all in church on Sunday mornings.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Se cerchi le persone peggiori, le trovi tutte in chiesa la domenica mattina.
Source: prevale.net

People

“It seems to me that the more Christian a country is the less likely it is to regard the death penalty as immoral. Abolition has taken its firmest hold in post-Christian Europe, and has least support in the church-going United States. I attribute that to the fact that, for the believing Christian, death is no big deal. Intentionally killing an innocent person is a big deal: it is a grave sin, which causes one to lose his soul. But losing this life, in exchange for the next? The Christian attitude is reflected in the words Robert Bolt’s play has Thomas More saying to the headsman: 'Friend, be not afraid of your office. You send me to God.'”

Antonin Scalia (1936–2016) former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

For the nonbeliever, on the other hand, to deprive a man of his life is to end his existence. God’s Justice and Ours https://web.archive.org/web/20120311230630/http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/gods-justice-and-ours-32, 123 First Things 17. (May 2002). Adapted from remarks given at Pew Forum Conference on Religion, politics and death penalty. 2000s

Life, Death, God, Penalty

“I often think of others who hunger and thirst for something more, for whom the Catholic Church is a very intimidating but compelling presence. They must overcome misunderstandings about what the Catholic Church teaches, and fears about what it might mean to live in the Catholic Church. Patient pastoral work can resolve much of this.”

Jeffrey N. Steenson (1952) American bishop

Source: Seeking the pearl of great price https://mercatornet.com/seeking_the_pearl_of_great_price/8854/ (October 22, 2009)

Hunger, Fear, Thinking

“This massive explosion of theological formation is like a baby being nurtured by the benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need.”

Yaroslav Pryriz (1963) Ukrainian Eastern Catholic bishop

Baby

“Of course we want to be in communion, faithfulness to the universal Church but to also recognise that within the Church we have to react to the realities as they are, not as we wish them or think they should be. We have to start where we are at – to see, to judge, and to act.”

Charles Gauci (1952) Bishop of Darwin

Top End Bishop says Indigenous are ‘the most traumatised people I’ve ever met’ https://catholicleader.com.au/news/shepherd-charles-roams-the-top-end (October 14, 2019)

Faith, Thinking, Reality, Universe

“The Northern Territory is not Melbourne, or Sydney or Adelaide or Perth or Brisbane – it is the Northern Territory, we need to be looking at how do we respond as a Church to the challenges of our time in this place. We are not creating a different Catholic Church. We are the Catholic Church in the Northern Territory.”

Charles Gauci (1952) Bishop of Darwin

Time

“I know—as we all do—very little of the practice and the spoken and written doctrine of former times on the subject of non-resistance to evil. I knew what had been said on the subject by the fathers of the Church—Origen, Tertullian, and others—I knew too of the existence of some so-called sects of Mennonites, Herrnhuters, and Quakers, who do not allow a Christian the use of weapons, and do not enter military service; but I knew little of what had been done by these so-called sects toward expounding the question.”

Leo Tolstoy The Kingdom of God Is Within You

Preface
The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894)

Question, Evil, Time

“The Church of Rome has allied herself with the state, and now they both drink together the blood of Christ, one from a chalice, and the other from the ground where it was spilled by the sword…”

Petr Chelčický book The Net of Faith

Source: The Net of Faith (c. 1443), Chapter 91, Interpretation of Romans 13:5-7 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2013%3A5-7&version=NIV (Conclusion)

Drink, Christ

“We are surrounded by darkness and are afraid to venture out. Unless we do, however, we will not find God, because it is only by leaving what is safe and comfortable to pierce the darkness that we will find the light of God. This is a fitting metaphor for the spiritual pilgrimage that all of us have to make out of our self-contained comfort zone into the wide world of God and God’s people in the Catholic Church.”

Leonard Paul Blair (1949) Catholic archbishop

Pilgrims all, on the journey of life http://www.catholicchronicle.org/index-php/columns/pilgrims-all-on-the-journey-of-life.html (13 November 2010)

God, People, World, Making love

“After a long period when politicians weren't even sitting in the same building together, there actually was the churches working together, who in many ways provided the fabric that held society together.”

Donal McKeown (1950) Roman Catholic bishop

Donal McKeown says DUP views seen as 'nakedly sectarian' https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-23112107 (30 June 2013)

Way

“If one happens to be a Catholic, there cannot be a split between one's internal kind of views and thoughts... and what one says publicly. One has a duty, whether he likes it or not, to preach the word of God. This is part of the very mission of the Church, which is not confined to guys like myself who wear this funny Roman collar.”

Frederick Henry (bishop) (1943) Catholic Bishop

Calgary Bishop Ready to Ban 'Catholic' Conservative Party Leader http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/2001Mar/mar2nl1.htm (March 2, 2001)

God, Guy, Parting

“[T]here is no more formidable obstacle than the Established Church to the spirit of rash and theoretic change which we, almost alone among the nations, have escaped .”

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830–1903) British politician

'Church-rates', Quarterly Review, 110, 1861, p. 545
1860s

Change

“Gerry had once said to her in the middle of an argument that he didn't believe in souls but if, just perchance, they did exist, hers would be like a razor. She had been made that way by the Catholic Church, he said. Inflexible, narrow, capable of doing terrible damage by her adherence to rules and systems. But she totally objected. She told him that if she was a good person at all, it had come from her religion. If she had any sense of justice and fairness, any concept of equality, then it had come from the Church.”

Bernard MacLaverty book Midwinter Break

Ch 11 - p.217
Novels, Midwinter Break (2017)

Religion, Justice, Way, Soul

“Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car.”

Garrison Keillor (1942) American radio host and writer

Though Keillor has been quoted on the internet and in print as having made this or a similar remark, such expressions have been made by others, and may have originated with Billy Sunday, who is quoted as having said "Going to church on Sunday does not make you a Christian any more than going into a garage makes you an automobile!" in Press, Radio, Television, Periodicals, Public Relations, and Advertising, As Seen through Institutes and Special Occasions of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism (1967) edited by John Eldridge Drewry.
Disputed

Making love, Cars

“God is in command of history. Each crisis has something to teach us; each crisis is overcome by particular virtues and by reference to particular truths. The way out of a crisis is often unexpected, and often combines a decisive historical intervention by God, and a new spirit in the Church, animating new movements and new thinking. With hindsight we can even see in some cases how the crisis itself solved intractable problems which could not be solved in any other way”

Joseph Shaw (academic) (1971) British academic

Interview with Dr. Joseph Shaw https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/fetzen-fliegen/item/5036-interview-with-dr-joseph-shaw (August 28, 2020)

God, Truth, Way, History

“The whole underside of our society has always been violence and still is. Churches, laws--everybody seems to think that man is a noble savage. But he's only an animal. A meat-eating, talking animal. Recognize it. He also has grace and love and beauty. But don't say to me we're not violent.”

Sam Peckinpah (1925–1984) American film director and screenwriter

Playboy, August 1972

Love, Making love, Law, Beauty

“An important term for us in the church is solidarity. We are brothers and sisters first because of that shared baptism, and there’s even deep solidarity simply because we’re all created by the same God.”

Steven Biegler (1959) American prelate

Father Steve Biegler selected as ninth bishop of Diocese of Cheyenne https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/father-steven-biegler-selected-as-ninth-bishop-of-diocese-of-cheyenne/article_7b23ad10-0ad8-11e7-a803-eb2d09401e05.html (Mar 17, 2017)

God, Sister

“Sometimes in our activist and production-oriented American society and culture we succumb to pragmatism looking at the Christian life and our sharing in the apostolic mission of the Church as a matter being able to “do” things for Christ, the Church or others. In fact, the Christian life is a gift and a call to truth and love given to us by God. It is first a matter of "being," of simply existing as a person created by God and redeemed by him in Christ. We live out this truth and love in specific ways according to our age, talents, and unique vocation. At no point are the sacraments about what we have done or promise to do for God. They are God's free gift of grace to us. At the same time, these gifts of love entail an obligation to bear witness to God's love in word and deed by our collaboration in freedom with the grace given.”

Álvaro Corrada del Río (1942) Puerto Rican Catholic bishop

Pastoral Reflection on the Sacrament of Confirmation http://www.americancatholicpress.org/Bishop_Corrada_Pastoral_Reflecton%20_on_Confirmation.html (October 7, 2005)

Love, Life, God, Truth

“There is a romance with the people of God. To know that you're building up the Kingdom of God, you who have been called and been given that grace, Jesus Christ is working through you in a very special way. I can’t save anybody personally, but I can through the Church through that I serve.”

Daniel Patrick Reilly (1928) Roman Catholic bishop

Bishop Daniel P. Reilly https://vimeo.com/273945657 (2008)

God, People, Way, Christ

“We'd only speak Korean at home. They [parents] wouldn't let us have sleepovers and sent us away to Korean church camp during the summers. We had weird food concoctions, too, so instead of spaghetti bolognese, we had rice bolognese with kimchi.”

Jamie Chung (1983) American actress

On her childhood memories in "Jamie Chung, Star of ‘Premium Rush, On Her Road from The Real World to Hollywood" in The Daily Beast (25 August 2012) https://www.thedailybeast.com/jamie-chung-star-of-premium-rush-on-her-road-from-the-real-world-to-hollywood

Food, Home, Parent, Summer

“I was a cradle Anglican. The Anglican Church taught me the Christian faith and nurtured and sustained me through many joyful and difficult periods in my life. I firmly believed that the priests of the Anglican Church were Catholic priests, but when “developments” began to occur, such as the ordination of women, I realized that once this had occurred, the priesthood to which women aspired to belong, no longer existed. This “development” opened the way for the liberalization of the Church’s worship, doctrinal belief and the acceptance of a more secularist set of moral and ethical principles. I felt abandoned because it was as if my “mother” had died, but this grieving has been alleviated by the warmth of the welcome and the support I have encountered from members of the Catholic Church.”

Harry Entwistle (1940) Australian priest

Interview with Msgr. Harry Entwistle https://insidethevatican.com/magazine/people/interview/interview-with-msgr-harry-entwistle/

Life, Women, Faith, Way

“The ancient roots of the Church of Kyiv here, on the shores of the gray Dnieper, produce a new sprout. We have been killed and crucified many times, but our roots are alive.”

Petro Loza (1979) roman-catholic bishop

World's youngest Catholic bishop consecrated in Ukraine https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/43277/worlds-youngest-catholic-bishop-consecrated-in-ukraine (January 14, 2020)

Time

“All church leaders agreed that the fears of the church members were not unfounded.”

Sebastian Tudu (1967) Roman catholic Bishop

Bangladeshi Christians Skip Traditional Christmas Midnight Mass https://www.voanews.com/east-asia/bangladeshi-christians-skip-traditional-christmas-midnight-mass (December 24, 2015)

Fear

“I heard someone on the news say, well, "tragedy has visited this church.””

Jon Stewart (1962) American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian

This wasn’t a tornado. This was a racist. This was a guy with a Rhodesia badge on his sweater. You know, I hate to even use this pun, but this one is black and white. There’s no nuance here. And we’re gonna keep pretending like “I don’t get it, what happened, there’s one guy who lost his mind”, but we are steeped in that culture in this country and we refuse to recognize it. Charleston Church Shooting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjzrvRKv6Ks, June 19, 2015 The Daily Show (1999-2015)

“To me, issues of pleasure should not be mixed with issues of life and death. All said and done, I stand with the position of the Catholic Church.”

John Baptist Odama (1947) born 1947; Roman-Catholic Archbishop of Gulu, Uganda

African Archbishop Reflects on Challenges to Marriage and Family https://www.ncregister.com/news/african-archbishop-reflects-on-challenges-to-marriage-and-family (October 10, 2014)

Life, Death, Pleasure

“God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church's story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.”

Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) American pastor

Source: God of Grace and God of Glory (1930)

Wisdom, God, People, Flowers

“God is not found in a disorganised way. If someone has a church they should also follow the doctrine of that church.”

Smaragde Mbonyintege (1947) Rwandan Catholic bishop (born 1947)

Source: Mont Kigali: ‘Sacred’ cave where Christians converge for worship https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/64399 (March 29, 2013)

God, Way

“The Church used to be a lifeboat rescuing the perishing. Now she is a cruise ship recruiting the promising.”

Leonard Ravenhill (1907–1994) British writer

Final message to the church (n. d.)

“The function of the Church’s doctrine of original sin ... is to keep alive the beam in my eye ... God keeps alive the beam in my eye by making that beam a living Cross, a beam on which there hangs a murdered victim.”

James Alison (1959) Christian theologian, priest

Source: The Joy of Being Wrong, p. 261.

God

“When we have God at the centre of our Church, we can lead our people to reach God’s Kingdom. Without God at the centre or our Church surrounding God, then not much of anything can be achieved.”

Rozario Menezes (1969) Catholic bishop

A Church having God at its centre https://www.pngsicbc.com/post/a-church-having-god-at-its-centre (July 5)

God, People

“The Catholic Church in Greece must play the game of the European Union, pushing for a secular, free, independent and modern state.”

Yannis Spiteris (1947) Roman Catholic archbishop

Why the Greek Orthodox Oppose Papal Visit https://zenit.org/2001/04/30/why-the-greek-orthodox-oppose-papal-visit/ (April 30, 2001)

Game

“When we walk away from communion with the Church, what are we saying to the Jesus Who entrusted His words and His sacraments to her bishops and saints? Has His promise to be with His Church to the end of the world ceased to be true? Can He Who is The Truth be entangled in a tissue of lies?”

Liam Cary (1947) Fifth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker

The Dark Sea of Scandal https://www.dioceseofbaker.org/documents/2019/2/100718.pdf (October 7, 2018)

Truth, World

“The work of the liturgy transcends us because it is Christ’s work, and it is our privilege to participate. This work is an art, sanctioned by the Church, which is Christ’s Body. In the liturgy we present what He has intended to make lasting for the salvation of mankind until all is consummated.”

Glen Provost (1949) Catholic bishop

Bishop Provost’s Chrism Mass Homily for 2021 http://www.lcdiocese.org/the-diocese/our-bishop/homilies/3150-bishop-provost-s-chrism-mass-homily-for-2021 (31 March 2021)

Art, Christ

“[T]he church does not preach the gospel at the pleasure of any administration or decline to preach it at another administration’s displeasure. We preach at Christ’s pleasure.”

Michael Horton (theologian) (1964) American theologian

What Are Evangelicals Afraid of Losing? (2018)

Pleasure, Christ

“I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the Church has done so often in human history."”

Francis George (1937–2015) Catholic cardinal

Replying to a question about the secularization of Western culture in a meeting with a group of priests on circa May 2010. Source: The Myth and the Reality of 'I'll Die in My Bed', Tim Drake, National Catholic Register, October 24, 2012, November 21, 2014 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tim-drake/the-myth-and-the-reality-of-ill-die-in-my-bed,

History, Help

“The fact that you can only find the monuments of Jesus next to the church shows how the state has separated itself from religion.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

Religion

“In the Catholic Church, it is not like politics. When we accept a task, our main duty is to continue what our predecessors did.”

Thomas Savundaranayagam (1938) Sri Lankan Tamil bishop

Mgr Emmanuel Fernando, the new bishop of Mannar, in the service of Tamils http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Mgr-Emmanuel-Fernando,-the-new-bishop-of-Mannar,-in-the-service-of-Tamils-42413.html (November 24, 2017)

“My new responsibility is higher, it requires renewed vigour, commitment and strength, the prayers of my brethren are needed. I need your prayers to succeed, I need your prayers to take catholic church and the society to the promised land.”

Matthew Ishaya Audu (1959) Nigerian catholic priest

Cleric urges Nigerians to pray for national unity, development https://newsdiaryonline.com/cleric-urges-nigerians-to-pray-for-national-unity-development/ (May 10, 2021)

“The church does not encourage clashes but harmony, based on a principle that must guide the world going forward, as there is no other possible way. This principle is that of solidarity.”

Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo (1954) Catholic bishop

Brazil’s top bishop: Without solidarity, Brazil could become new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/05/18/brazils-top-bishop-without-solidarity-brazil-could-become-new-epicenter (May 18, 2020)

World, Way

“I will contribute who I am. I deeply believe in the beauty of the Church of Montreal, of its diversity, of its expressions, and of its culture. It is our mission to strive for reconciliation and peace. I believe that that's what the people need.”

Alain Faubert (1965) Canadian religious servant and auxiliary bishop

Inside the Heart of a Bishop https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en/news-and-info/latest-news/inside-heart-bishop (April 27, 2016)

People, Peace, Beauty

“To be politically motivate and politically sensitive to what is happening around us is part of our responsibility as Church. We must educate people on this – this is an important area but since it is delicate area, we must be prudent in going about it.”

Antony Selvanayagam (1935) Catholic bishop

Source: Bishop Selvanayagam tells his story https://cj.my/74779/bishop-selvanayagam-tells-his-story/ (14 August 2012)

People, Education, Motivation, Parting

“It is not the sheep only who abide in the Church.”

Jerome (345–420) Catholic saint and Doctor of the Church

The Dialogue Against the Luciferians https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3005.htm

“The Church must speak out on politics, otherwise she would betray the Gospel.”

Leopoldo González González (1950) Mexican archbishop

Source: Mexican bishops defend their freedom of expression on political views https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/15600/mexican-bishops-defend-their-freedom-of-expression-on-political-views (April 4, 2009)

“The local Catholic Church here, together with other religions present in Thailand, we have sought to offer our contribution encouraging our people to pray, promoting dialogue with everyone, educating to legality and social justice and morality in social and political activity.”

Louis Chamniern Santisukniram (1942) Archbishop of Thailand

Source: “Social injustice and corruption at the root of the crisis”: President of Thai Bishops' Conference tells Fides http://www.fides.org/en/news/26621-ASIA_THAILAND_Social_injustice_and_corruption_at_the_root_of_the_crisis_President_of_Thai_Bishops_Conference_tells_Fides (6 May 2010)

People, Education, Religion, Justice

“I felt how much God loves me to have chosen me a second time after having chosen me a first time to join the order and become a priest, I feel blessed because the church has entrusted me with this new mission.”

Fadi Abou Chebel (1969)

Source: Lebanese priest to lead new Maronite Catholic Exarchate of Colombia http://theleaven.org/lebanese-priest-to-lead-new-maronite-catholic-exarchate-of-colombia/ (3 February 2016)

Love, God, Feeling, Time

“Do not hate anyone even at church. You should not have a permanent enemy even in politics. Do not be weighed down by hate and jealousy.”

Joice Mujuru (1955) Zimbabwean politician

Source: "Zimbabwe: 'I Have Quit Politics' - Joice Mujuru" https://allafrica.com/stories/202103090190.html, All Africa (March 9, 2021) Context: She can actually give me advice on how to overcome the challenges.

Hate, Jealousy

“God dwells In a Holy House. Faith is growing. Nothing deters the people. Their love for Christ and Church increases.”

Telesphore Toppo (1939–2023) Catholic cardinal

Source: [https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2018/04/cardinal-in-india-inaugurates-new-parish-despite-tribulations/ Cardinal in India inaugurates new parish, despite ‘tribulations’] (April 11, 2018)

Love, God, People, Faith

“Never were there more gross absurdities, nor half so many in so short a time, committed in any public meeting; and for a National Assembly never did the Church of Christ see the like.”

William Laud (1573–1645) Archbishop of Canterbury

Source: Letter to the Marquis of Hamilton (3 December 1638), quoted in The Works of the Most Reverend Father in God, William Laud, sometime Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Volume VI—Part II. Letters—Notes on Bellarmine (1857), p. 547

Time, Christ

“You cannot have a greater desire to conform Ireland to the Church of England, than I (and this with as seeming great a desire of the King) to conform Scotland to the Church of England.”

William Laud (1573–1645) Archbishop of Canterbury

Source: Letter to Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (8 October 1638), quoted in The Works of the Most Reverend Father in God, William Laud, sometime Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Volume VII—Letters (1860), p. 489

“The time was, before this miserable rent in the Church of Christ—which I think no true Christian can look upon but with a bleeding heart—that you and we were all of one belief. That belief was tainted, in tract and corruption of times, very deeply.”

William Laud (1573–1645) Archbishop of Canterbury

Source: A Relation of the Conference betweene William Lawd...and Mr. Fisher the Jesuite (1639), quoted in The Works of the Most Reverend Father in God, William Laud, sometime Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Volume II: Conference with Fisher (1849), p. 141

Thinking, Time, Heart, Christ

“One of the missions of the underground priests was to encourage these people and to tell them that yes, we're suffering, but we're doing this for Christ. That's why the Church survived; people were humans, in all the best sense of the word.”

Volodymyr Viytyshyn (1959) Polish archbishop

Source: In becoming a priest, you were agreeing to be a martyr https://osvnews.com/2018/08/15/underground-period-marks-ukrainian-church/ (15 August 2018)

People, Sense, Suffering, Christ

“The church has always been the center of our our life for our family, it's our spiritual home and I thinks it's kept us balanced and helped us get through some tough times, I don't know where I'd be without my faith.”

Gary W. Janak (1962) American Catholic auxiliary bishop

Source: SBSL Original - Father Gary Janak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH0cm_Zvzzc (April 11, 2019)

Life, Family, Faith, Home

“I don't know these so-called priests, and the Church should not be scared. Many such people have emerged in Uganda and gone. I advise Ugandans neither to follow nor listen to them because they intend to divide the church.”

Emmanuel Wamala (1926) Catholic cardinal

Source: Twenty Ugandan priests form breakaway sect of married clerics https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/18210/twenty-ugandan-priests-form-breakaway-sect-of-married-clerics (2010)

People

“Anything said appears to be a confrontation between the government and the Church.”

Enrique Eguía Seguí (1962) Catholic bishop

Source: Buenos Aires bishop says ad limina visit is ‘pastoral and religious’ https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/15368/buenos-aires-bishop-says-ad-limina-visit-is-pastoral-and-religious (15 March 2009)

Appearance

“Each church is free to establish whatever form of organisation is suitable and useful itself, for God has prescribed nothing specific about this.”

John Calvin (1509–1564) French Protestant reformer

Epistles to the Corinthians
Source: Commentary on 1 Corinthians, 11:2, quoted in William J. Bouwsma, John Calvin: A Sixteenth-Century Portrait (1989), p. 223

God

“The Church won't develop by European standards. For centuries we sent missionaries to other continents, now other continents are inspiring us and revitalizing our faith. I think that's a postive development.”

Werner Thissen (1938) Catholic archbishop

Source: In the Interview: Archbishop of Hamburg, Werner Thissen https://www.dw.com/en/in-the-interview-archbishop-of-hamburg-werner-thissen/av-16680253 (2013)

Faith, Thinking

“I know Colorado to be a beautiful land of beautiful people and I look forward to serving the faithful of Pueblo as their shepherd in Christ. I eagerly anticipate our future together as we grow and build our local church.”

Stephen Jay Berg (1951) Fifth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo

Source: Newly appointed Pueblo, Colo. bishop promises to give his all https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/newly-appointed-pueblo-colo-bishop-promises-to-give-his-all (January 15, 2014)

People, Faith, Beauty, Future

“Wisdom and Truth are synonymous terms, and that which is false or well-known representative of the Church of England, that the Sermon of the Mount would, in its practical application, mean utter ruin for his country less than three weeks;”

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky book The Key to Theosophy

Source: The Key to Theosophy (1889)

Wisdom, Truth, Falseness, Country

“The knowledge of the Church doesn't come from knowing, it comes from living with Jesus. The Gospel is alive.”

Josu Iriondo (1938) Catholic bishop

Source: For Retiring Bishop Iriondo, ‘Gospel Is Alive’ And To Be Shared https://www.cny.org/stories/for-retiring-bishop-iriondo-gospel-is-alive-and-to-be-shared,10602 (6 February 2014)

Knowledge

“The African experience of Church and community has its own dynamics and culture. The particular situation they find themselves in is more trying to fight the assaults on human dignity and human family that are being imposed upon them by the West.”

Jeff Fortenberry (1960) U.S. Representative from Nebraska

Source: Pope to Catholic lawmakers: Be strong. Protect life. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/32545/pope-to-catholic-lawmakers-be-strong-protect-life (31 August 2015)

Family, Communication, Fight

“You know that my ancestors were the most christian emperors of the great nation of Germany, the catholic kings of Spain, the archdukes of Austria, and the dukes of Burgundy, who all were, until death, faithful sons of the Roman Church...I am therefore resolved to maintain everything which these my forebears have established to the present…and to settle this matter I will use all my dominions and possessions, my friends, my body, my blood, my life, and my soul. It would be a disgrace for you and me, the illustrious and renowned nation of Germany, privileged and pre-eminent as protector and defender of the Catholic faith, if heresy, or even just the suspicion of heresy, and the degradation of the Christian religion were to return to the hearts of men in our time to our perpetual dishonour.”

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) Holy Roman Emperor

Diet of Worms (1521)
Source: *Detlef Ploese and Guenther Vogler, eds., Buch der Reformation. Eine Auswahl zeitgenössischer Zeugnisse (1476-1555). Berlin: Union Verlag, 1989, pp. 245-53

Life, Death, Men, Faith

“Above all, I believe sports have given me the God´s gift of ease to relate to people. It is very easy for me to be with people of any age, social condition or circumstance. Sports helps you not to have barriers. This has helped me a lot in the priesthood. In the second place, I would say that in sports, one works as a team. One person doesn't win, the whole team does. Moreover, I have played basketball especially. This also leads one to see the need to be organized. Each one has to give his best. The leader is not the one who carries a plan forward. He is the one who creates conditions in such a way that each one can give the best of himself. He is not the one in front carrying the flag. This is also very important in the priesthood and the episcopate. In the third place, as in sports, it is very important to know how to struggle. Life, for a man who wants to be loyal in the Church today, is a real struggle. Today we cannot say that the Church is synonymous with success — on the contrary.”

Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne (1943) Catholic cardinal

Source: From Basketball Player to Cardinal https://zenit.org/2001/02/27/from-basketball-player-to-cardinal/ (27 February 2001)

Life, God, People, Age

“We find ourselves in a time of global uncertainty and in such a time are called to offer the common man Christian hope, perspective for the future and faith in eternity. The people of today actually hunger the most for God. They seek solace in various surrogates and, therefore, experience disappointment. Nothing can give man meaning and peace except God. The Church should open its doors to all people. We Greek Catholics, with our mystical spirituality, ecclesiastical tradition and the wealth of our liturgy, can and should offer the living Christ, his joy, love, forgiveness and hope to the people around us in our own characteristic way. With great hope, I look toward the future of our Eparchy of Križevci and anticipate days of spiritual revival. Whoever truly wants to follow Christ will inevitably encounter resistance and persecution from the world. However, let us not lose hope. With God we are always in the majority and always on the winning side. May our many holy ancestors be our role models and support us on this path.”

Milan Stipić (1978) Croatian Greek-Catholic bishop

Source: The Episcopal Ordination of Msgr. Milan Stipić as the Bishop of Križevci https://ika.hkm.hr/english/the-episcopal-ordination-of-msgr-milan-stipic-as-the-bishop-of-krizevci/ (October 2020)

Love, Hunger, God, People

“The goal of every reform and renewal in the Church is the holiness of its members. The Lord Jesus calls on us constantly to follow the path of ecclesial communion, Catholic faith and holiness in our times, especially among pressing ecclesial and social challenges.”

Nikola Eterović (1951) Croatian Roman Catholic archbishop

Source: German Bishops turn attention to Synod and abuse scandal https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-09/germany-bishops-general-assembly-synod-abuse-scandal.html (21 September 2021)

Faith, Time

“I would like everyone to understand that the Church in this society is not a foreign element but a profoundly domestic reality that truly wants the good for each person. We hope to find agreement and a suitable response from the other side.”

Josip Mrzljak (1944) Croatian Roman Catholic bishop

Source: Josip Mrzljak Appointed as the New Bishop of Varaždin https://ika.hkm.hr/english/josip-mrzljak-appointed-as-the-new-bishop-of-varazdin/ (2007)

Hope, Understanding, Reality, Personality

“The Church is expected, even in the middle of human weakness and error, to guard, in obedience and veneration, the Gospel Christ has entrusted to her. The Pope is not the creator of the faith, but the custodian of the Gospel.”

Diego Causero (1940) Italian apostolic nuncio

Source: Pope is not creator of the faith, but custodian of the Gospel https://www.cirkev.cz/archiv/080425-pope-is-not-creator-of-the-faith-but-custodian-of-the-gospel (2008)

Faith, Error, Christ

“Churches and monasteries everywhere should not be seen only as "cultural treasures" needing to be preserved materially, but also with due respect for the conditions that enable Christian communities to practice their faith freely in those centres.”

Luciano Suriani (1957) Vatican archbishop and diplomat

Source: At The Service Of Dialogue And Peace https://cordmagazine.com/interview/archbishop-luciano-suriani-apostolic-nuncio-serbia-service-dialogue-peace/ (20 November 2017)

Faith, Communication

“It has always been important for the Capuchins to encourage lay people to take an active part in the Church and in effect we have many local lay Catholics in the Franciscan Tertiary Order. This is very encouraging for us because the collaboration of well-prepared lay people is necessary for the apostolate.”

Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (1960) Congolese theologian and catholic cardinal

Source: AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “I am grateful to the Pope for this act of confidence in me” the newly appointed Bishop of Bokungu-Ikela in Congo told Fides http://www.fides.org/en/news/3549-AFRICA_DEMOCRATIC_CONGO_I_am_grateful_to_the_Pope_for_this_act_of_confidence_in_me_the_newly_appointed_Bishop_of_Bokungu_Ikela_in_Congo_told_Fides (6 April 2020)

People, Parting

“We are grateful to God for His large grace and mercy to the people. At the same time we ask all people of good will to pray for the successful building of the church, because we know very well that when the Lord does not build a house, builders work in vain.”

Vasyl Ivasyuk (1960)

Source: In Kirovohrad foundation stone of church was blessed http://news.ugcc.ua/en/news/in_kirovohrad_foundation_stone_of_church_was_blessed_57087.html (30 November 2009)

God, People, Time, Success

“The Church has two missions. Its first mission is to address its own members; not just those who were baptised but also those who after being baptised have chosen to embrace the Church's teachings and embark on a spiritual journey that passes through the Church. When I speak as the bishop of these people I have to put everything in the light of the Gospel. When I speak to society at large, and I know there are people who embrace this position and others who don't, I have a duty to pass on the Church's message.”

Paul Cremona (1946) Catholic archbishop

Source: Lead us not into temptation https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/lead-us-not-into-temptation.314940 (27 June 2010)

People, Light

“A time came when the Catholics, having long relied on force, were compelled to appeal to opinion. That which had been defiantly acknowledged and defended required to be ingeniously explained away. The same motive which had justified the murder now prompted the lie. Men shrank from the conviction that the rulers and restorers of their Church had been murderers and abetters of murder, and that so much infamy had been coupled with so much zeal. They feared to say that the most monstrous of crimes had been solemnly approved at Rome, lest they should devote the Papacy to the execration of mankind. A swarm of facts were invented to meet the difficulty: The victims were insignificant in number; they were slain for no reason connected with religion; the Pope believed in the existence of the plot; the plot was a reality; the medal is fictitious; the massacre was a feint concerted with the Protestants themselves; the Pope rejoiced only when he heard that it was over. These things were repeated so often that they have been sometimes believed; and men have fallen into this way of speaking whose sincerity was unimpeachable, and who were not shaken in their religion by the errors or the vices of Popes. Möhler was pre-eminently such a man. In his lectures on the history of the Church, which were published only last year, he said that the Catholics, as such, took no part in the massacre; that no cardinal, bishop, or priest shared in the councils that prepared it; that Charles informed the Pope that a conspiracy had been discovered; and that Gregory made his thanksgiving only because the King's life was saved. Such things will cease to be written when men perceive that truth is the only merit that gives dignity and worth to history.”

John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834–1902) British politician and historian

Source: 1860s, The Massacre Of St. Bartholomew (1869)

Life, Men, Truth, Lie

“The dialectic between the social situation of the believer and Scripture and the traditions of the Church is the place to begin the investigation of the question, Who is Jesus Christ for us today? Social context, Scripture, and tradition operate together to enable the people of God to move actively and reflectively with Christ in the struggle of freedom.”

James H. Cone (1938–2018) American theologian

Source: God of the Oppressed (1975, 1997), p. 115 (1975 edition)

God, People, Question, Freedom

“I always wanted to be a priest and missionary. But God has always caught me off guard. I am nostalgic for what I left behind, but I accepted everything without bitterness and never got my head in the various roles I took on. Personally, I would have preferred to go on the mission, but the Pope asked me to be a missionary here in Setúbal. The mission today is in Europe and a challenge for the Church.”

José Ornelas Carvalho (1954) Portuguese catholic bishop

Source: Making the church a laboratory of humanization https://www.dehoniani.org/en/making-the-church-a-laboratory-of-humanization/ (9 November 2020)

God, Personality

“The rites of the church are expressions of our faith. As we all individually have differing histories and experiences, communities of Christians do as well. One will find subtle differences even between parishes. Jesus Christ founded one Catholic Church with fundamental truths and sacraments. He did not detail the way that should be experienced. History and geography have provided the alternate expressions. With a unified Catholic Church, our differences can be ways of understanding those truths and celebrating the sacraments while protecting their integrity.”

John Michael Kudrick (1947) Roman Catholic bishop

Source: Pope Francis & Married Catholic Priests: Q&A with Bishop John of Parma https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/pope-francis-married-catholic-priests-qa-bishop-john-parma (3 December 2014)

Truth, Faith, Way, History

“The mission is of God, it is not ours. We are simply the instruments of God. Within the Church, one of the characteristics of the missionary, and especially of the religious – for I myself am also a religious – is itinerancy. We are never fixed in one place, but are transferred wherever the Church needs us, wherever God sends us, which is why we must always be ready to dismantle our tent and set it up again elsewhere.”

Luiz Fernando Lisboa (1955) 21st-century Brazilian Catholic bishop

Source: Mozambique: the last three years have been “an experience of the cross” https://acninternational.org/mozambique-the-last-three-years-have-been-an-experience-of-the-cross/ (25 February 2021)

God

“The Church must always be popular. It is about the person and his relationship with God. The church that is financially well off can forget its content. We are nothing without the people. What is important is that the people connect with their God, and with the Eternal Word of the Father, who became man and walked with us. Now it is us who are trying to walk with him.”

Josu Iriondo (1938) Catholic bishop

Source: For Latin Immigrants, Church Is Home, Says Auxiliary of New York https://zenit.org/2003/11/05/for-latin-immigrants-church-is-home-says-auxiliary-of-new-york/ (5 November 2003)

God, People, Personality, Forgetting

“Forgiveness of the sin of abortion does not mean the Church condones abortion, neither does it minimise its grave effects.”

Smaragde Mbonyintege (1947) Rwandan Catholic bishop (born 1947)

Source: Catholic Church maintains its stand on abortion, says Bishop Mbonyintege https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/192233 (5 September 2015)

Forgiveness

“Faith is service to our fellows. You receive faith, you share faith. Aside from water and food that the government provides, what the Church can also give is strengthening of faith.”

Gilbert Garcera (1959) Roman Catholic archbishop

Source: Philippine prelate warns against volcano eruption 'fake news' https://www.ucanews.com/news/philippine-prelate-warns-against-volcano-eruption-fake-news/86998 (16 January 2020)

Faith, Food, Water

“The Catholic Church is not the religious function of a given political society. It is a communion of an order quite different from what national belonging or the framework of the law can provide, a communion open to all.”

Éric de Moulins-Beaufort (1962) French archbishop

Source: Catholic archbishop: ‘The Church in France is jostled from many sides’ https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic-archbishop-ric-de-moulins-beaufort-the-church-in-france-is-jostled-from-many-sides-56097 (December 19, 2020)

Law

“While we are saying that the Catholic Church is the mother church, then we have to be true to our name and embrace all.”

John Ribat (1957) cardinal

Source: Cardinal Ribat of PNG: putting the peripheries at the centre http://www.archivioradiovaticana.va/storico/2016/11/18/cardinal_ribat_of_png_putting_the_peripheries_at_the_centre/en-1273170 (2016)

“Each of these Churches, including the Latin Church, has its own genius. The beauty is to learn from each other without destroying the uniqueness of each one.”

Bosco Puthur (1946) Indian bishop

Pope looks east for possible Church reforms https://www.ucanews.com/news/pope-looks-east-for-possible-church-reforms/69752 (22 November 2013)

Beauty, Learning

“The purpose of all the Church's activity is the salvation of souls. The Curia and other institutions are instruments that must be as flexible as possible in the Pope's and Bishops' hands, to take Christ to the ends of the world.”

Francesco Monterisi (1934) Italian cardinal

Cardinal Monterisi: Francis Is Awakening Fervor https://zenit.org/2013/04/24/cardinal-monterisi-francis-is-awakening-fervor/ (24 April 2013)

World, Soul, Christ

“On the pastoral level, the Cardinal should help the Holy Father as he does as a member of the universal Church.”

Francesco Monterisi (1934) Italian cardinal

Cardinal Monterisi in the footsteps of Saint Paul http://www.archivioradiovaticana.va/storico/2011/02/18/february_18,_2011/en1-462779 (12 February 2011)

Universe, Help

“We are convinced that the future of the Church depends on the quality of its priests. This is why our Dicastery considers formation, especially priesthood, as a priority, and is strongly committed to supporting not only formators but also the formation structures in mission territories.”

Protase Rugambwa (1960) Tanzanian bishop

Archbishop Rugambwa to Rectors and vice-Rectors of Seminaries: "Forming priests according to the heart of God" http://www.fides.org/en/news/65594-VATICAN_Archbishop_Rugambwa_to_Rectors_and_vice_Rectors_of_Seminaries_Forming_priests_according_to_the_heart_of_God (20 February 2019)

Support, Future, Dependency

“The priority is not to expand the Church. The priority is not to be more, to have more baptisms or religious weddings. The priority is to build a world of brothers and sisters with those who share our faith or have a different faith, and with those who have no faith.”

Cristóbal López Romero (1952) cardinal

Card. López Romero: I doubted if I should become a priest, but one question changed me https://www.romereports.com/en/2019/10/12/card-lopez-romero-i-doubted-if-i-should-become-a-priest-but-one-question-changed-me/ (12 October 2019)

World, Faith, Sister, Wedding

“The Church therefore requires that the priest practice custody of the eyes, an integral part of modesty: we should never let our eyes fall on anything that would distract us from God or lead us into sin.”

Chad Ripperger (1964) American Roman Catholic priest and exorcist

Ripperger PhD, Fr Chad, Topics on Tradition, Sensus Traditionis. Kindle Edition, 2013, pg. 150

God, Parting

“There are three things I cannot take in: nondogmatic faith, nonecclesiological Christianity and nonascetic Christianity. These three - the church, dogma, and asceticism - constitute one single life for me.”

Sophrony (Sakharov) (1896–1993) Russian monk, theologian and writer

Letter to D. Balfour, August 21, 1945.
Others

Life, Faith

“The hope is there thanks to our communities, where faith is so alive that we can see a future through their open attitude to life, to God and the Church.”

Jesús Tirso Blanco (1957–2022) Argentinian bishop

"The population still needs to be reconciled in its innermost self", says the Bishop Lwena to Fides http://fides.org/en/news/30153-AFRICA_ANGOLA_The_population_still_needs_to_be_reconciled_in_its_innermost_self_says_the_Bishop_Lwena_to_Fides (21 October 2011)

Life, God, Faith, Hope

“There are different cultures, different ways of thinking, different ways of living the faith and of evangelizing, but we wish to love each other as brothers and sisters, respecting our legitimate differences, and valuing each other as gifts for the Church.”

Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel (1940) Mexican bishop

Celibacy is precious gift that not everyone understands, says Mexican bishop https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259/celibacy-is-precious-gift-that-not-everyone-understands-says-mexican-bishop (25 November 2003)

Love, Faith, Way, Thinking

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Quotes about church
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