“We are conscious that religions cannot solve the economic, political and social problems of this earth.”

If priests were allowed to marry, if this would be an optional thing, and if he could have wife and children, he would certainly have less temptation to satisfy certain sexual impulses with minors.

But I have to add – and this answers your other question – this catholicity in time and in space is only meaningful for me if there is, at the same time, a concentration on the Gospel.

I am firmly convinced that there is life after death, not in a primitive sense but as the entry of my completely finite person into God’s infinity, as a transition into another reality beyond the dimension of space and time that pure reason can neither affirm nor deny.

All historical experience demonstrates the following: Our earth cannot be changed unless in the not too distant future an alteration in the consciousness of individuals is achieved.

Alluding to hell is a warning that a person can completely neglect his purpose in life. I don’t believe in an eternal hell.

However, if the religions in essence merely repeat statements from the United Nations Human Rights Declaration, such a Declaration becomes superfluous; an ethic is more than rights.

A Church which abandons the truth abandons itself.

Everyone agrees the celibacy rule is just a Church law dating from the 11th century, not a divine command.

There will be peace on earth when there is peace among the world religions.

As a matter of fact, you have deficiencies in all religions, but you have truth in all religions.

There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions.

It is not certain that everything is certain, neither is it certain that everything is uncertain.

God’s love does not protect us from suffering. God’s love protects us in the midst of suffering.

I’m not saying goodbye to life because I’m a misanthropist or disdain this life, but because, for other reasons, it’s time to move on.

Religion often is misused for purely power-political goals, including war.

That is the Roman way: to give favors to the favorites.

I made a conscious decision to live my life the best way I could and that meant to publicise myself as little as possible.

Enthusiasm is a heightened state of consciousness, and it’s one of the best feelings there is to feel.

It’s not the world that needs to change – it’s our consciousness we must raise.

Our difficulties launch us into new states of consciousness where we are inspired to step out of the reality of our smallest thoughts and step into the limitless freedom of our biggest dreams.

Our wills are simply not of our own making. Thoughts and intentions emerge from background causes of which we are unaware and over which we exert no conscious control. We do not have the freedom we think we have.

Becoming a writer is about becoming conscious.

I think we can all recognize in some way or another that we as a human species, have been granted an incredible gift of intentionality and of consciousness. Perhaps this gift is a hint to how we should conduct our lives.

No school of philosophy has ever solved this question of whether being determines consciousness or the other way around. It may be a false antithesis.