The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.

The cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in the Lord's vineyard.

The Church is not self-made, it was created by God and is continuously formed by Him. This finds expression in the Sacraments, above all in that of Baptism: I enter into the Church not by a bureaucratic act, but with the help of this Sacrament.

We pray that the Lord may help us to produce His light in ourselves, even in dark days, so that we might be light for others, illuminating the world and life in this world.

The risen Lord is the new Temple, the real meeting place between God and man.

Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.