---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bishops need to resist the defensiveness…"
description: "\"Bishops need to resist the defensiveness that institutions often fall back on in crisis moments.\" — Blase J. Cupich"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bf/blase-j-cupich-6316_crisis_bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness_2180044.jpg"
---

#  Bishops need to resist the defensiveness that institutions…

![“Bishops need to resist the defensiveness that institutions often fall back on in crisis moments.” quote by Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bf/blase-j-cupich-6316_crisis_bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness_2180044.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bf/blase-j-cupich-6316_crisis_bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness_2180044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bf/blase-j-cupich-6316_crisis_bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness_2180044.jpg)

> “Bishops need to resist the defensiveness that institutions often fall back on in crisis moments.”

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Church leaders must avoid defensiveness and stay open during crises.

**In simple terms:** Stay open, not defensive, in crises.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humility and dialogue.

Themes

leadership crisis management humility institutional health communication

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

pastoral strategic

When to use this quote

- parish meetings
- diocesan synods
- public statements
- media interviews

Key Concepts

defensiveness institutional inertia conflict resolution

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards prevent institutional collapse?
- How can leaders balance openness with authority?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on openness may ignore necessary boundaries.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bishops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/) [Bishops Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops-need-4705484/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Defensiveness Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defensiveness-institutions-4705486/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Institutions Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions-fall-4705487/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Resist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resist/) [Resist Defensiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resist-defensiveness-4705485/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [The good Bishop of Assisi expressed a sort of horror at the hard life which the Little Brothers lived at the Portiuncula, without comforts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-good-bishop-of-assisi-expressed-a-sort-of-horror-at-the-hard-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/)

[Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/)

> [The kids kept walking, moving through the Henley's halls like a tide, but when Kat turned to leave, she walked in the opposite directions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/the-kids-kept-walking-moving-through-the-henley-s-halls-like-a-tide/)

[Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/)

> [Our bishops storehouses are not intended to stock enough commodities to care for all the members of the Church. Storehouses are only established to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/our-bishops-storehouses-are-not-intended-to-stock-enough-commodities/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [Inherent in the ordination to be bishop is both the right and the obligation to be directed by inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/inherent-in-the-ordination-to-be-bishop-is-both-the-right-and-the/)

[Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/)

> [The future belongs to he who has the bishops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/the-future-belongs-to-he-who-has-the-bishops/)

[Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/)

> [Archbishop Milingo is a good Bishop and his contention that there are satanists in Rome is completely correct. Anybody who is acquainted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-martin/archbishop-milingo-is-a-good-bishop-and-his-contention-that-there-are/)

[Malachi Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-martin/)

> [Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-razuvaev/only-a-good-bishop-can-be-sacrificed-a-bad-bishop-can-only-be-lost/)

[Yuri Razuvaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-razuvaev/)

> [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, “the Church which presides in charity”, is communion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-one-thing-that-the-catholic-church-desires-and-that-i-seek-as/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [My last two characters have been Denethor and Walter Bishop. Both will be hard acts to follow. That sits in the hands of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-noble/my-last-two-characters-have-been-denethor-and-walter-bishop-both-will/)

[John Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-noble/)

> [The first proof of charity in a priest, especially a bishop, is poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-first-proof-of-charity-in-a-priest-especially-a-bishop-is-poverty/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

## More by Blase J. Cupich

> [There is a synergy between the way Croatians approach life and the way Jesuits do. Croatians are very real about situations. We don't gloss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/there-is-a-synergy-between-the-way-croatians-approach-life-and-the/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [Chicago is highly segregated, a fact that both causes and compounds the problems we face in bringing an end to violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/chicago-is-highly-segregated-a-fact-that-both-causes-and-compounds/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [We have always wanted to make sure that we start the conversation by saying that all people are of value and their lives should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/we-have-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-we-start-the-conversation-by/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [People are looking for a way in which their spiritual life can be deepened. They are finding it in some of our Catholic parishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/people-are-looking-for-a-way-in-which-their-spiritual-life-can-be/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [Let's face it: grandparents are very important to family systems. You're babysitters, but you also instill values in children that sometimes skip a generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/let-s-face-it-grandparents-are-very-important-to-family-systems-you/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [Once a bishop is appointed, in terms of governance, we are semi-autonomous. It's not like we are branch managers of a bank or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/once-a-bishop-is-appointed-in-terms-of-governance-we-are-semi/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [Voting for a candidate solely because of that candidate's support for abortion or against him or her solely on the basis of his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/voting-for-a-candidate-solely-because-of-that-candidate-s-support-for/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [For generations, our political life was distorted by the influence of public officials whose foremost goal was to preserve the essence, if not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/for-generations-our-political-life-was-distorted-by-the-influence-of/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [I did my doctoral dissertation on the lectionary readings that we use at mass and how you have biblical texts that have been taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/i-did-my-doctoral-dissertation-on-the-lectionary-readings-that-we-use/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [We help immigrants because we are an immigrant nation, and we are an immigrant church. We've always done that; this is nothing new to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/we-help-immigrants-because-we-are-an-immigrant-nation-and-we-are-an/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [I think that the Pope has trust in every bishop that is appointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/i-think-that-the-pope-has-trust-in-every-bishop-that-is-appointed/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [Our schools must be places where all are respected and the values of tolerance and peacemaking are taught and nurtured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/our-schools-must-be-places-where-all-are-respected-and-the-values-of/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [In the 40 years that I've been a priest and the 17 as a bishop, I have experienced people coming at things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/in-the-40-years-that-i-ve-been-a-priest-and-the-17-as-a-bishop-i-have/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [Science can and should inform debate about abortion and the law. But science does not resolve questions of moral value and moral choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/science-can-and-should-inform-debate-about-abortion-and-the-law-but/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [People should be called the way that they want to be called rather than us coming up with terms that maybe we're more comfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/people-should-be-called-the-way-that-they-want-to-be-called-rather/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

[Explore all 99 Blase J. Cupich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

## More Bishops quotes

> [The good Bishop of Assisi expressed a sort of horror at the hard life which the Little Brothers lived at the Portiuncula, without comforts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-good-bishop-of-assisi-expressed-a-sort-of-horror-at-the-hard-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My last two characters have been Denethor and Walter Bishop. Both will be hard acts to follow. That sits in the hands of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-noble/my-last-two-characters-have-been-denethor-and-walter-bishop-both-will/)

[John Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-noble/)

> [The one thing that the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, “the Church which presides in charity”, is communion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-one-thing-that-the-catholic-church-desires-and-that-i-seek-as/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-razuvaev/only-a-good-bishop-can-be-sacrificed-a-bad-bishop-can-only-be-lost/)

[Yuri Razuvaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-razuvaev/)

> [Archbishop Milingo is a good Bishop and his contention that there are satanists in Rome is completely correct. Anybody who is acquainted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-martin/archbishop-milingo-is-a-good-bishop-and-his-contention-that-there-are/)

[Malachi Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-martin/)

> [The future belongs to he who has the bishops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/the-future-belongs-to-he-who-has-the-bishops/)

[Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/)

> [Inherent in the ordination to be bishop is both the right and the obligation to be directed by inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/inherent-in-the-ordination-to-be-bishop-is-both-the-right-and-the/)

[Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/)

> [Our bishops storehouses are not intended to stock enough commodities to care for all the members of the Church. Storehouses are only established to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/our-bishops-storehouses-are-not-intended-to-stock-enough-commodities/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [The kids kept walking, moving through the Henley's halls like a tide, but when Kat turned to leave, she walked in the opposite directions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/the-kids-kept-walking-moving-through-the-henley-s-halls-like-a-tide/)

[Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/)

> [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/)

[Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/)

> [The first proof of charity in a priest, especially a bishop, is poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-first-proof-of-charity-in-a-priest-especially-a-bishop-is-poverty/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

[Browse all 323 Bishops quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Bishops need to resist the defensiveness that institutions often fall back on in crisis moments.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Blase J. Cupich"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness-that-institutions-often-fall/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bishops"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness-that-institutions-often-fall/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bf/blase-j-cupich-6316_crisis_bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness_2180044.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bf/blase-j-cupich-6316_crisis_bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness_2180044.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bf/blase-j-cupich-6316_crisis_bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness_2180044.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Bishops need to resist the defensiveness that institutions often fall back on in crisis moments.” — Blase J. Cupich",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Blase J. Cupich",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Bishops need to resist the defensiveness...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness-that-institutions-often-fall/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/bishops-need-to-resist-the-defensiveness-that-institutions-often-fall/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```