Quotes from Pope Benedict XVI

My plans never progressed as far as a clear desire for a family.

In our heart, in the heart of each of you, let there be always the joyous certainty that the Lord is near, that he does not abandon us, that he is near to us, and that he surrounds us with his love.

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.

So Jesus in the throes of his Passion is an image of hope: God is on the side of those who suffer.

In reality, I am more a professor, one who reflects and mediates on spiritual questions. Practical governance is not my strong point, and this is certainly a weakness. But I do not see myself as a failure. For eight years, I carried out my work.

The church is not a political power; it's not a party, but it's a moral power.

The positive aspects of modernity are to be acknowledged unreservedly: we are all grateful for the marvellous possibilities that it has opened up for mankind and for the progress in humanity that has been granted to us.

The life of the community, both domestically and internationally, clearly demonstrates that respect for rights, and the guarantees that follow from them, are measures of the common good that serve to evaluate the relationship between justice and injustice, development and poverty, security and conflict.

Prudence does not mean failing to accept responsibilities and postponing decisions; it means being committed to making joint decisions after pondering responsibly the road to be taken.

A thirst for the infinite is indelibly present in human beings. Man was created to have a relationship with God; we need him.

Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. There may be legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not... with regard to abortion and euthanasia.

We pray that the Lord may help us to produce His light in ourselves, even in dark days, so that we might be light for others, illuminating the world and life in this world.

The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.

The abuse of faith has to be resisted precisely.

The Church must introduce the individual Christian into an encounter with Jesus Christ and bring Christians into His presence in the sacrament.

We can see that the sacramental presence of the Lord in the Eucharist is an essential gift for us and give us also the possibility to love the others and to work for the others.

When the danger is great, one must not run away.

The Church must actualize, be present in the public debate, in our struggle for a true concept of liberty and peace.

Both need each other: The agnostic cannot be content to not know, but must be in search of the great truth of faith; the Catholic cannot be content to have faith, but must be in search of God all the time, and in the dialogue with others, a Catholic can learn more about God in a deeper fashion.

The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Joy is the true gift of Christmas, and we can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us.

Look at the face of the other... discover that he has a soul, a history and a life, that he is a person and that God loves this person.

The ways of the Lord are not easy, but we were not created for an easy life, but for great things, for goodness.

Mercy is what moves us toward God, while justice makes us tremble in his sight.