I was not totally surprised that the Holy Father would release an encyclical on Jesus’ love for us, symbolized in His Sacred Heart. For me, it was th… - Luis Antonio Tagle

Father Kroeger mentioned you both loved music. Could you tell us a little story about what happened during those years you were studying together? Cardinal Tagle: Father Jim – or “Jim” at that time — was the choir director of the seminary choir. Especially during big events in the seminary, the philosophy seminarians and the theology seminarians would come together to form one big choir. Jim would teach us and conduct the choir. He was a joy to watch because we didn’t know whether he was conducting or dancing. He made music practice quite enjoyable. Of course we did not tell him that at the time. It was fun because some choir directors that followed Jim were quite stern. He made it fun.

The Bible, the practice of the Church from its birth, the Social Teachings of the Church, the witness of martyrs and saints, and the constant mission of the Church towards the poor and neglected through the centuries form a chorus and a symphony which we are invited to hear and to join with our voices and the "instruments" that we have, namely our persons, time, talents, treasure.

Francesco non insegna cose nuove, quel che dice è tutto già scritto nel Vangelo: l’amore di Gesù per i poveri, la chiamata alla conversione e tutto il resto. Lui mi ha detto che ammira molto Paolo VI, l'Evangelii nuntiandi in particolare, che per me è forse il documento più importante del dopo Concilio. Francesco, però, ha messo l’accento sulla gioia, il gaudium, perché c’è una tendenza nel mondo contemporaneo, non solo nella Chiesa, a sentirsi stanchi e tristi. La vita familiare, lo studio, il lavoro: sono vissuti come un peso. Ma noi abbiamo la vera ragione per essere lieti: Gesù, morto e risorto, è vivo ed è la nostra speranza.