Interviewer: You are an Augustinian. How does Augustinian spirituality characterise your ministry?
Cardinal Prevost: We could say several things... As my episcopal motto suggests, unity and communion are part of the charism of the Order of Saint Augustine and also of my way of acting and thinking. I think it is very important to promote communion in the Church, and we know well that communion, participation and mission are the three key words of the Synod. So, as an Augustinian, promoting unity and communion is fundamental for me. St Augustine also speaks a lot about unity in the Church and the need to live it, about the fact that there is a certain guarantee of unity in listening to the Bishop of Rome, in being part of the Church of Rome. In this sense too, therefore, I feel that the Pope's new call is a way of living my unity and participation in the Church, in obedience to the Holy Father. This too is very Augustinian.
Interviewer: How much does the figure of Augustine inspire your choices, your steps, your service in the Church?
Cardinal Prevost: St Augustine is certainly a great figure not only for the order but for everyone. I wish I had more time to study and read him. He has so much to offer the Church, even the Church of today. Then there is what I said before: unity in the Church and fidelity to the Bishop of Rome, always seeking to promote communion. Living unity in the Church, as Augustine recommends, means living united in Christ.

In the years remaining for me, I shall strive to be a caring pastor, a faithful teacher, a loving father and brother and a true servant of the people of God in the District of Columbia and the five counties of Maryland. I am truly honored, very humbled and deeply grateful that our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has chosen me to serve as a cardinal of the church.

I always had the impression of a man who wanted to live the Gospel authentically, consistently. In the days when I was Prior General of the Augustinians, several times during visits to my brothers in Argentina, when he was still a cardinal, I had the opportunity to meet him and speak with him, informally and on more institutional matters'.

The Catholic Church is present and active right across Australia and each diocese has its own characteristics and history, and its own unique challenges and opportunities, all underpinned by our common faith. There really is unity in diversity among the bishops and the choice of the Archbishop of Perth as the new president demonstrates this.

On the pastoral level, the Cardinal should help the Holy Father as he does as a member of the universal Church.

Ratzinger would make anyone pale. He is a true Doctor of the Church, a man who from his precious participation in the Council to his brilliant academic activity and his theological production, from his episcopate in Munich to his memorable mission as guardian of the faith alongside Wojtyła, its true pillar, has become a giant in the last fifty years (also in the debate with secular culture). And all this associated with truly extraordinary humanity, simplicity, moral courage, humility qualities....We could continue with Montini, three degrees , precious collaborator of Pius XII in the Secretariat of State, therefore in the government of the universal Church, in crucial years; great theological preparation, friend of important thinkers for Christianity such as Jacques Maritain, later bishop of Milan capable of giving a vigorous missionary push to the metropolis, therefore protagonist of the Council.

This appointment of mine as a cardinal I believe is a privilege for the Telugu region and will grow the faith of the Church in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I am a Dalit, so this is good news for Dalit Catholics and for the entire Church in India. I believe it will bring the encouragement of Pope Francis to many.

The Church is not a political republic. It is a spiritual reality incarnated in time, and does not respond to purely human criteria. The important thing is always to find someone capable of guiding God's people at a given moment in history. I have known Pope Leo XIV for a short time, through a few personal encounters. He is always kind, attentive to issues, and thoughtful. My overall and immediate impression is of a serene man, that is, reconciled with himself because he is centred on Christ. I believe this is the best prerequisite for living such a great responsibility.

I thank the Lord, for He is the author of history: History in general or personal history. I never ever dreamt of being a Cardinal. It was the Lord who wanted it. I love the Lord, and I consecrated my life to work for Him. Being a Cardinal gives me the opportunity to do even much more for the Lord. I am incredibly grateful to the Holy Father for entrusting me with this responsibility. I love the Church; I enjoy working for the Church, and this will also give me the opportunity to do much more for it.

I'd like to be pope. That would be my number one choice. No — I don't know, I have no preference. I must say we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who's very good.

The diocese's promise is enormous, and with God's help, and that of Catholics in places such as Australia, I will continue to bring this promise to fruition.

I'm afraid that because I'm a cardinal people will think of me as a success. I'm immensely afraid of that, since I'm here to bear witness instead. The Lord has given me a great grace, but if I'm a bishop it is not that I've succeeded more than others. I have more responsibility, that's for sure. Even if, as things are, because of the increasing importance of the mass media, there's no point in being a cardinal if you only come out with banalities.

The Catholic Church has a great particularity, there is no better administrator than a priest and people linked to the Church. For me it is important to maintain a cordial and respectful relationship with this Pastoral care, we are available for any situation in which we can intervene. Our common home is the Dominican Republic, therefore, we must work hard to protect and defend it together, we must think about our children, grandchildren and those who will come after them.

A great career in the Church was thus opened for him against his will, and if he did not die an archbishop it was not wholly the fault of the Church. Already he was a great prelate, the equal in rank of the Abbe Suger, himself, of Saint-Denis; of Peter the Venerable of Cluny; of Bernard of Clairvaux. He was in a manner a peer of the realm.