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 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.

The announcement took me by surprise and all I can say is that I was humbled by the appointment from Pope Francis. He has put his trust in me in serving the Church's mission in the world and in particular, here in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, making God's love come alive for people. I accept this new challenge with the help of God’s grace accompanying me into the future. I would appreciate it if you could keep me in your prayers during this time.

I hope that my being a member of the College of Cardinals can increase the affection and the devotion of the people of the Archdiocese of Washington for Pope Francis and his Petrine Ministry.

I believe it was time for a cardinal to be chosen from here. It will be a challenge, I am sure, but with the help of God and my community I will try to further the teachings of the Lord.

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

If I'm prepared for this new assignment as bishop... it's in large measure, not only to God's grace, but to the people who have inhabited my life, as a Catholic priest and as a person from Northeast Ohio.

With deep gratitude and joy we welcome the election of the new Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI . The choice of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger turns our Church in the right direction. We can be sure the Holy Father will continue the work of his predecessor and we know we can rely on him to guide the Church towards God with great responsibility.

I give thanks to God for the presence and help of cardinal Ratzinger, who is a trusted friend.

Discriminating against people according to caste is not only un-Christian; it is also inhuman. I am happy to be a priest and consider my priesthood to be the greatest gift God has given me for the good of His people. The episcopacy is an added responsibility and I try "to be a happy servant," which is the motto of my episcopate. Being a dalit, it may be easier for me than for others to understand the concept of a being servant; and as a first generation Christian in my family, my faith in Christ brings me great happiness—as it is still new and still uncontaminated.

We support the struggle for rights and equal opportunity of Dalit Christians. The Church is always on the side of the poor and the excluded. We ask all Indian states, the federal government, institutions, public officials, and police, for full respect towards religious leaders committed to the promotion of human rights.

I believe that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has made tremendous progress in the Church, and has changed in many ways the mentality of so many, both clerics and non-clerics. I think the laity feel much more comfortable within the structures of the Church nowadays than they did ten years ago when Pope Francis came into office. I believe that Pope Francis saw as his mission to continue the Second Vatican Council, the Council that called the laity to be an active, not only 'participant,' but 'member,' with all the rights due to baptism, that every person in the Church has. That was not so well known. [...] Certainly in this Dicastery [Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life], and in several other Dicasteries, the laity are very prominent. In this Dicastery, the ordained ministers are the least noticeable. [...] There are three priests in this dicastery out of 35. I happen to be Prefect, and, I don't know, but can imagine I may have the distinct honor of being the last cleric to be the Prefect of this Dicastery.

I understand my appointment to the episcopal see of Litoměřice, according to our Redemptorist charism, as a missionary vocation with particular attention to those who are most in need of our help.

During his years as Pope, Francis has placed great emphasis on the “Catholic” (universal) dimension of the Church, favouring the presence of pastors from all over the world, including in the composition of the College of Cardinals. The fact that he wanted a cardinal for your diocese does not contradict this line, but rather reinforces it, since Rome is called to preside over the communion and charity of all the Churches. In the Diocese of Rome, the universal character of the Church and its particular character come together in a special way. For this reason too, the closeness of Pope Francis, not only to me personally but to the whole Church, is a grace.