Quotes from Blase J. Cupich

We have always wanted to make sure that we start the conversation by saying that all people are of value and their lives should be respected and that we should respect them.

Parishes must be the safest places for a child to be.

For me, the real goal is how do we make vibrant and vital faith communities that are sustainable for the long run.

I think that education is a pathway out of poverty for many people. It was for our family.

The death penalty confronts us with a penetrating moral question: Can even the monstrous crimes of those who are condemned to death and are truly guilty of such crimes erase their sacred dignity as human beings and their intrinsic right to life?

Voting for a candidate solely because of that candidate's support for abortion or against him or her solely on the basis of his or her race is to promote an intrinsic evil. To do so consciously is indeed sinful. That is behavior incompatible with being a Christian.

I was really grateful to have a chance to have some really in-depth study about the power of language using a philosopher who taught at the University of Chicago by the name of Paul Ricoeur. I'm really happy to be in Chicago because a lot of what I do is rooted in his approach to language.

We have to be sure we don't pigeonhole one group as though they're not part of the human family, as though there's a different set of rules for them. That would be a big mistake.

People think sometimes there is a 'Catholic vote' because of one particular issue. This demeans who we are as a Catholic community. We should take the whole thing... We take everything.

White supremacy is a sin. Neo-Nazism is a sin.

We are called to care for those sickened by pollution, house those displaced by environmental calamities, and heal the spirits of those - especially our youth - who are disheartened by a world where human survival is now in question.

Our people's faith is strong and sustains them even in times of challenge.

There is a synergy between the way Croatians approach life and the way Jesuits do. Croatians are very real about situations. We don't gloss over things. If there are issues to deal with, you deal with them.

We don't need military weapons in our society. We're not supposed to be at war with one another.

We have to become involved in the political process - if we don't like it, we can change it.

We realize there is no political party or politician who fully takes into consideration the issues the church is about. This is nothing new to us.

I think that the Pope has trust in every bishop that is appointed.

I would say that every pope has had people within his administration who have had difficulties one way or another with his administration.

I don't think sometimes people in positions of leadership in the church really engage gay and lesbian people and talk to them and get to know about their lives.

Let's face it: grandparents are very important to family systems. You're babysitters, but you also instill values in children that sometimes skip a generation.

We are a people unafraid to welcome 'your tired, your poor, your huddled masses,' because we measure others by the quality of their hopes for the future, not by the circumstances of their birth.

The long arc of history that recounts the Catholic Church's embrace of people of all faiths and none in providing health, education, and welfare in society is as incontestable as it is impressive.

My folks were very practical. They were also kind of able to think outside of the box. They were not going to let circumstance paralyze them. They knew sometimes you just had to take some new initiative. I think they passed that on to all of us... If you don't find a way, you make one.

We are a democracy, and we get the leaders we deserve because we elect them.