Pope XVI Quotes (14 Quotes)

Today, even in this modern age marked by anxiety and uncertainty, we live the event of the resurrection, which changed the face of our life and changed the history of humanity.

Like a wave gathering force, my thoughts go out to all men and women of today, to believers and non-believers alike.

In the face of continuing situations of injustice and violence that continue to oppress different areas of the earth and before those things that present themselves as new and insidious threats to peace -- terrorism, nihilism and fanatical fundamentalism -- it becomes necessary more than ever to work together for peace.

I urge you to continue your efforts to fight this virus, which not only kills but seriously threatens the economic and social stability of the continent.

It is of great concern that the fabric of African life, its very source of hope and stability, is threatened by divorce, abortion, prostitution, human trafficking and a contraceptive mentality, all of which contribute to a breakdown in sexual morality.

We know well that this truth risks being contradicted by the hedonism of the so-called well-off societies Life is exalted as long as it's pleasant, but one tends to not respect it any more when it is sick or damaged.

Today, 11 September, we remember the victims of terrorist violence throughout the world. May God inspire men and women of good will everywhere to renounce hatred and to build a world of justice, solidarity and peace.

In the particular moment that Italy has been living through in these months, may the risen Lord bring serenity to the national community and strengthen in all those who work to serve it the strong desire to pursue aims of harmony and authentic development for the good of all.

Unspontaneity is of their essence. In these rites I discover that something is approaching me here that I did not produce myself, that I am entering into something greater than myself, which ultimately derives from divine revelation. This is why the Christian East calls the liturgy the Divine Liturgy, expressing thereby the liturgy's independence from human control.

After the Second Vatican Council, the impression arose that the pope really could do anything in liturgical matters, especially if he were acting on the mandate of an ecumenical council. Eventually, the idea of the givenness of the liturgy, the fact that one cannot do with it what one will, faded from the public consciousness of the West. In fact, the First Vatican Council had in no way defined the pope as an absolute monarch. On the contrary, it presented him as the guarantor of obedience to the revealed Word. The pope's authority is bound to the Tradition of faith, and that also applies to the liturgy. It is not manufactured by the authorities. Even the pope can only be a humble servant of its lawful development and abiding integrity and identity. . . . The authority of the pope is not unlimited it is at the service of Sacred Tradition. . . . The greatness of the liturgy depends - we shall have to repeat this frequently - on its unspontaneity.

not only peacefully created unimaginable political changes in Poland, putting Polish people on a road to freedom and democracy, but also showed other nations of the former eastern bloc the possibility of correcting historic injustice.

Today, the Lord puts us on guard against the self-reliance that puts a limit on his limitless love. He invites us to imitate his humility.

All the Saints of God are there to protect me, to sustain me and to carry me. And your prayers, my dear friends, your indulgence, your love, your faith and your hope accompany me.

In each of them, like in the manger of Bethlehem, Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts, asking that we make room for him in our lives. God is like this. He does not impose, he never enters with force, but like a child asks to be welcomed.