"Yes, the rise of Islamism is palpable! You can see it everywhere! It is an invasion. With money from the Gulf States and from Pakistan, they ‘buy’ people. You see young men setting off to study in Saudi Arabia, and when they come back they are imams."
“People come to us asking for help and tell us that in other hospitals they couldn’t get treatment because they did not have enough money. We don’t simply tell them to go away; we try to help them in every way we can."
“I have two older brothers, both of whom have gone abroad, the first as an immigrant to Canada, and the second is waiting in Lebanon for his papers so that he can go to Europe. Now, my mother, my father and I are living together, hoping for their return. Honestly, I feel that I have started to hate Europe because it has stolen from us friends and loved ones; it has robbed us of the sight of them. Yet, my faith is great, and I feel that all will return, even after many years."
"Indonesia will certainly become more Islamic; but hopefully still within the country’s existing constitutional and democratic framework. For us Christians, the task is clear: we have to build up trusting, positive relations with mainstream Indonesian Islam."
“On May 19, 2005, attending to my son's vault in a mausoleum I felt a need to look up, and I saw a sculpture depicting the Pietà. I said to the Virgin: ‘Madrecita (dear Mother), forgive me for crying for my son, when I should stay calm because I had the blessing of being a mother.’"