"The Lord is near to us, not only in our joys, but also in our sadness, our disappointment and our tragedies. The Lord has shared our humanity completely, but also with a love that is stronger than our tragedies. So, when we come to pray to the Lord, it’s not only someone who understands us, but someone who loves us in a way that bridges our most tragic and heartrending moments." — Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, former bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., in response to the Newtown, Conn., tragedy in December 2012

"To help thoughtful people reconsider their views, we need to show that the Catholic position on a variety of topics, including contraception, is not stupid. We have to bring a prayerful dimension to everything we do, realizing that it’s not about crushing the enemy, but reaching out to people and inviting them to become a part of our family." — Cardinal Sean O’Malley, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities

"St. Peter, in his first letter, asked the Christians to be always ready to give reasons for the hope that is within them. So to give the reasons for our hope requires knowledge of these reasons. It’s not pure sentiment. There are reasons to believe and good reasons to be hopeful, and Christians should be able and ready to give an account of the hope that they have and the faith that we believe. Therefore, the Catechism should be an effective instrument for a great many Christians in the world who are in a situation to be able to discuss their faith." — Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, who was responsible for overseeing the Catechism’s creation as its editorial secretary

"The pro-life message" is "filling the void that secular society creates when it excludes God, morality and sensitivity to the beauty of human life." — Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who attended the Walk for Life West Coast 2013

"Benedict XVI continued to advance the ‘New Evangelization’ announced by John Paul II and made it more radically Christ-centered. He also pressed forward with important proposals of his own." — papal biographer George Weigel

"Who will Francis obey? He will obey the real shepherd — Christ. He will be faithful to Christ." — Father Joseph Fessio regarding Pope Francis upon his election to the papacy in March 2013

"We tend to take life for granted, but it really is a gift from God. In Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord says, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.’ That was true of Jeremiah, but also of everyone else. None of us gives life to ourselves, so we have to be thankful for all the happenings of divine Providence that make our lives possible. God’s generosity to us is the foundation of our respect for and protection of every human life, from the moment of conception." — Neil Walker of the Pittsburgh Pirates

"[Christ’s] light can expel the darkness and illuminate for us the path that leads to life, to a civilization of solidarity and love. ... We must build a civilization of love or there will be no civilization at all." — Cardinal Sean O’Malley at a special Mass for the Boston bombing victims in April 2013

"The one thing you can be absolutely sure of is that we’re not going to comply; we can’t comply. We are in the age of heroic witness. Catholics at times have taken the faith for granted. Those days are over. The Church is being actively persecuted. If enough Catholics stood up, this persecution would be beaten back." — Father Terence Henry, outgoing Franciscan University president, on the federal contraception mandate

"The task of the Church is to proclaim the truth — whether easy or hard, popular or unpopular, ‘convenient or inconvenient,’ as St. Paul charged." — Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., regarding attempts to redefine marriage and recent attacks on religious freedom

"It’s a very serious matter, and we have to, as citizens of the United States, reawaken and insist on the respect for human life and also for the integrity of the marital union." — Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Vatican’s highest court, in response to Supreme Court decisions in June 2013

"Karol Wojtyla was a normal guy, sharp and sensitive, full of energy and zest for life. But from the beginning, in him was something ‘more.’ … I am delighted by the fact that, from now on, the whole Church will establish the face of a new saint, St. John Paul II." — Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, John Paul II’s former private secretary, on upcoming canonization

"God has a different, unique call for each of us. ... Follow the call of Christ. Have openness to the Holy Spirit, and let God do the leading. ... I found that trust in him and attentiveness to God’s will are what bring joy." — EWTN news anchor Colleen Carroll Campbell

"If the Copts leave Egypt, the loss to the world will be significant. We are speaking of the eradication of Christianity from its birthplace, including the very place where the apostles walked and Jesus Christ and his Mother sought refuge." — Samuel Tadros, a Coptic Christian, author and research fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom

Pope Francis’ aim "is to smother you with God’s love and mercy, and it appears to be working." — senior Vatican official on the Holy Father’s first six months

"It is God’s desire for everyone to abide in his peace, present for everyone." — Bishop Shelton Joseph Fabre of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, La.

"There is such a great dynamic of faith and enthusiasm for the faith that was experienced this year. Also, I would say we experienced unity in the Church through different experiences, initiatives and events." — Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, recalling the Year of Faith, which ended Nov. 24, 2013

"There remains the possibility that ministries may yet be forced to fund and facilitate … morally illicit activities. In obedience to our Judeo-Christian heritage, we have consistently taught our people to live their lives during the week to reflect the same beliefs that they proclaim on the Sabbath. We cannot now abandon them to be forced to violate their morally well-informed consciences." — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, outgoing president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, in response to the Feb. 1, 2013, proposed ‘accommodation’ to the federal contraception mandate

"The core of the Christian vocation" is to "protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation." — Pope Francis at his installation Mass

"May the risen Lord, who defeated sin and death, sustain us all, especially the weakest and those most in need. May the risen Christ guide all of you and all of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace!" — Pope Francis to the faithful on Easter Sunday 2013

"Stay focused on the important issue of respect for human life, from the moment of conception." — Pope Francis to March for Life Rome 2013 participants

"Forgiveness, dialogue, reconciliation: These are the words of peace, in beloved Syria, in the Middle East, in all the world! Let us pray for reconciliation and peace; let us work for reconciliation and peace, and let us all become, in every place, men and women of reconciliation and peace!" — Pope Francis during the Sept. 7, 2013, prayer vigil for peace at the Vatican

Pope Francis says that the joint canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII is "a message for the Church: These two were wonderful, both of them."

Reflecting on Mary’s example of Christian gratitude, Pope Francis recalled the Magnificat on Oct. 13, 2013, saying it is "a song of praise and thanksgiving to God not only for what he did for her, but for what he had done throughout the history of salvation."

Pope Francis encouraged young people at World Youth Day Rio to be "joyful witnesses of his love, courageous witnesses of his Gospel, carrying to this world a ray of his light," as quoted in Bishop James Conley’s WYD Rio recap

Evangelizers must be those who "wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet." — Pope Francis in his first apostolic exhortation