Blase J. Cupich

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“We help immigrants because we are an immigrant nation, and we are an immigrant church. We've always done that; this is nothing new to us. This is not a new venture for us. It's who we are and have been from the very beginning of the history of the Catholic Church in this country.”

“I believe the assertion that every human life has an inherent and inalienable value will only be strengthened if we apply this principle to the morality of defending both convicted criminals and the lives of the unborn.”

“Getting to know people as they are is very, very important.”

“I take time to be with people, and I learn a lot.”

“Once we begin to make our churches safety zones in a military-style approach, we're going to lose something of the character of our places of worship.”

“I don't want the abnormal or something special. I want to have a normal life.”

“Here are the ingredients of a tragedy: untreated mental illness, a society where life is cheap and crime is glamorized, and a ready supply of firearms.”

“Once a bishop is appointed, in terms of governance, we are semi-autonomous. It's not like we are branch managers of a bank or something.”

“When the state imposes the death penalty, it proclaims that taking one human life counterbalances the taking of another life. This assumption is profoundly mistaken.”

“We Catholics have been in the forefront in defending the dignity of the human person. Clericalism is a direct violation of human dignity.”

“We are a people who have learned repeatedly throughout our history that economic distress can help us to appreciate that there are other ways to be rich that are not financial or even material.”

“I am never bored in my ministry because I continually see the impact of God in people's lives.”

“Abortion is a searing and divisive public policy issue precisely because two significant sets of rights are in conflict, and no matter which set of laws it enacts, society must choose between those rights.”

“Those who do not think religious organizations should have an opinion on climate change misunderstand the former and the moral dimension of the latter.”

“Radical individualism can be very sad.”

“Clericalism is a form of elitism in which some are viewed as having special rights and privileges.”

“The Eucharist is an opportunity of grace and conversion. It's also a time of forgiveness of sins, so my hope would be that grace would be instrumental in bringing people to the truth.”