The Church is called to bear witness to Christ by taking courageous and prophetic stands in the face of the corruption of political or economic power; by not seeking her own glory and material wealth; by using her resources to serve the poorest of the poor and by imitating Christ's own simplicity of life. Pope Saint John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, para. 43
We wish to remember. But we wish to remember for a purpose, namely to ensure that never again will evil prevail, as it did for the millions of innocent victims of Nazism. How could man have such utter contempt for man? Because he had reached the point of contempt for God. Only a Godless ideology could plan and carry out the extermination of a whole people. Pope Saint John Paul II, Speech at Yad Vashem, 23/03/2000
"In prayer our hearts find the strength not to be cold and insensitive in the face of situations of injustice. In prayer, God keeps calling us, opening our hearts to charity.” Pope Francis, Address at St. Patrick in the City, Washington, D.C, 24/09/2015
“Human trafficking will never be truly defeated without eliminating the consumerism that feeds it and prosecuting those actors in receiving countries, including our own, that benefit because of the exploitation of vulnerable human beings.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, On Human Trafficking, 2007
(The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed on 6 August, and 9 August 1945 respectively. The first, and thus far only uses of nuclear weapons in war) If the consciousness of universal brotherhood truly penetrates into the hearts of men, will they still need to arm themselves to the point of becoming blind and fanatic killers of their brethren who in themselves are innocent, and of perpetrating, as a contribution to Peace, butchery of untold magnitude, as at Hiroshima on 6 August 1945? Blessed Pope Paul VI, Message for World Day of Peace, 1967
30 July All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents. Pope Francis, Laudato Sii
Sixteenth Sunday of the year, Year A - 23 July 2017 But I want you to make yourselves heard in your dioceses, I want the noise to go out, I want the Church to go out onto the streets, I want us to resist everything worldly, everything static, everything comfortable, everything to do with clericalism, everything that might make us closed in on ourselves. Pope Francis, Address to Rio WYD Pilgrims from Argentina, 25 July 2013
Fifteenth Sunday of the year, Year A - 16 July 2017 The Church with "goes forth" is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first, and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast. Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium Para 24