Jesus was neither a mediator nor a saviour, neither super-human nor divine . . . the time has come to leave Jesus to his place in history and move on.
- The Church of Ireland Dean of Clonmacnoise and Rector of Trim, Very Rev Andrew Furlong
She was a very innocent person who could see nothing else in life but doing good for others. That's the tragedy.
- Ballybay parish priest, Father Gerard McSorley, of Sister Philomena Lyons
The very live connotations which such phrases have in the context of the Middle East or the atrocities in New York constitute a vile and slanderous attack on the person of the Ombudsman.
- Mr Samuel Pollock, chief executive of the Ombudsman's Office, Northern Ireland, on Lord [Ken] Maginnis's comment that Police Ombudsman, Ms Nuala O'Loan, was a "suicide bomber"
People will note that, be it the Colombian adventure or the visit to Cuba, Sinn FΘin seek out those who deny political debate and dissent.
- SDLP chairman Mr Alex Attwood, talking about the visit by Mr Gerry Adams, Sinn FΘin leader, to Cuba
Until you have the senior people, you don't have them. You have to keep putting pressure on them, trying to find out where they are, offering rewards for people to help you find them, and someday you will find them in Afghanistan or somewhere else. We're patient.
- Mr Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary of Defence, asked about Osama bin Laden
The gun has to stop ruling the country.
- Hamid Karzai, interim leader of Afghanistan, pledging to end 20 years of chaos
He has now the unique distinction of being the first man in history to refuse an invitation which he never received.
- The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, of the Labour TD Mr Pat Rabbitte's assertion he would not serve in a coalition led by Fianna Fβil
We are not a fascist state . . . and we are not in the habit of punishing people for offences they are yet to commit.
- Judge John Gower, on his previous sentencing of Roy Whiting, Sarah Payne's murderer
We are giving Ireland full support on this.
- Norwegian Environment Minister, Mr Borge Brenda, of the Government's efforts to curb Sellafield's operations
If people in Ireland could see how little the Turks give us to live with, then you Irish would understand why we want to risk the container.
- A brother of two Kurdish asylum-seekers discovered dead in Wexford