A bishop must not be a little prince sitting in his kingdom.

Obey your bishop! “Obey those set over you [Heb 13:17],” the teachers of the Church…. I remind you, my dear friends, of what I said when I was with you: do not receive any outside or unknown preacher, unless he be sent by your bishop or preaches with the permission of the pope. For “how shall they preach unless they are sent [Rom 10:15]?”

The high demands of the episcopacy are truly fearsome, even beyond the normal standards of leadership. Thus, I propose that bishop-elects must be given sufficient opportunities to be informed, exposed, and formed prior to assuming the Episcopal office. There is a need to re-look at the practical and human needs of the bishop.

No man can be a good bishop if he loves his title but not his task.

Bishops have a certain standing in the life of the life of the community, but when you're a sick person, then you're on par with everybody else, and that's a very good thing, I think, there's no privilege in that sense any longer, of status or office, or whatever it may be. You belong in the place where all human beings belong: in the hands of the Lord and waiting on his person and his love.

You put on a bishop's robe and miter, he pondered, and walk around in that, and people bow and genuflect and like that, and try to kiss your ring, if not your ass, and pretty soon you're a bishop. So to speak. What is identity? he asked himself. Where does the act end? Nobody knows.

A good bishop must be a leader, a father, and a servant – all in one person. Therefore, it is not an easy ministry. People have different needs. In my opinion, a bishop can be compared to a juggler who throws many balls in the air at the same time. A bishop also has to do many different things and achieve a delicate balance in his ministry.

Sometimes the bishop risks focusing only on the local dimension. But a bishop should have a much broader vision of the Church and reality, and experience the universality of the Church. He also needs the ability to listen to his neighbour and seek advice, as well as psychological and spiritual maturity. A fundamental element of the portrait of a bishop is being a pastor, capable of being close to the members of the community.

How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? The most he can say is, "I will see you in the vestry after service."

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.

You know those guys that go to the strip club at the daytime? If you're at a strip club and the sun is out, you got some problems!

I just knew I could not trust my sexuality to behave as a Christian priest should, And I didn't want to be a cause of scandal.

We Bishops also need formation. We studied for the priesthood in the seminary and we had teachers who accompanied our journey of formation. When we are appointed Bishops our task becomes more difficult, there is more responsibility, there are more problems.

The Congregation for Bishops, unlike the Congregation for Saints, deals with the pastoral profiles of candidates who are not yet perfect, but of men on the way of perfection. What certainly counts in a priest proposed for the episcopate are the theological and cardinal virtues, the so-called principal human virtues. Above all, what is most important for this office is prudence. This should not be understood as reticence or timidity, but as balance between action and reflection while exercising a responsibility that requires great dedication and courage.