Pope Francis recently wrote a letter to all priests in the diocese of Rome, expressing his “sympathy with them”. The Pope asked priests to beware of spiritual secularization and clericalism, not to be masters but to be servants.
(Vatican News Network) Pope Francis’ letter to all priests in the diocese of Rome was published on August 7. In January of this year, the Pope “reorganized” his diocese by promulgating the Apostolic Charter “In the Communion of the Church”, making several adjustments in the diocesan office. The Pope wrote that this letter is the fruit of prayers before the statue of the Madonna of Salvation of the Roman People, to whom he entrusts all the priests of the diocese of Rome.
The priesthood of “obscurity”
The pope began by expressing one of his greatest fears, that priests have lost love for their vocation and ministry. The priesthood, the pope acknowledged, “brings joy and toil, hope and disappointment” and is often performed with “much toil” and “not understood”. Therefore, in the letter, the Pope repeatedly “thank you for your unknown good deeds”, “thank you” for the work that sometimes does not receive “recognition”. In any case, “our priesthood is not measured by pastoral success”.
Spiritual secularization and clericalism
The pope said he wanted priests to feel that he was with them through thick and thin, sharing “an emotional and practical desire for communion”. The Pope also emphasized that the greatest evils of the priesthood are spiritual secularization and clericalism. “God asks us to carry on to the end the struggle against spiritual secularization”.
The Pope quoted the theologian Henri de Lubac’s warning of the danger of “reducing spirituality to a superficial way of life”, pointing out that “spiritual profaneness makes us ‘spiritually profitable’ and becomes A person who has a divine appearance but actually thinks and acts in worldly ways”.
“This happens when we are attracted by the ephemeral, when we are content with mediocrity and conformity, when we are seduced by power and social influence. Again, vanity and narcissism, doctrinal rigidity and Liturgical aestheticism, in these forms and ways, secularization is hidden under the appearance of religion and even love for the church, but in fact ‘seeking not the glory of the Lord, but the glory and comfort of the individual’ (“The Gospel Joy, exhortation, No. 93).”
show yourself superior
The Pope emphasized that once this sense of secularization enters the hearts of pastors, it “takes on a unique form, that is, clericalism”. “I feel the need to tell you, with the heart of an elder, that I am concerned that we are slipping back into clericalism; that I am concerned that, even if we don’t realize it, we are going to appear to others as superior, privileged, ‘high’, thus separated from the holy people of God”.
Focus only on image and achievement
The Pope reiterated that clericalism is “a pathology” that leads people “to exercise authority in all forms of power, no longer aware of their double-handedness, not humble, but distanced and defiant “. Citing the parable of “goat’s milk” and “wool coat” in the book of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:3-4), the Pope warns of the danger of “nourishing oneself and one’s own interests, enjoying a life of comfort and security” .
“When we only care about drinking goat’s milk and thinking about our own personal gains and losses; when we blindly seek to wear woolen clothes, what we care about is focusing on our own image and increasing achievements. At this time, we lose the priestly spirit.”
Praising with “thankfulness” and praising God’s unrequited love can help us put an end to these deviations. But it is more of a “daily antidote” to “behold the crucified Jesus, gaze daily at the Lord who emptied himself and suffered humiliation to death for us”. “We are to be servants of the people of God, not masters, to wash the feet of our brothers and sisters, not to trample them under our feet,” the Pope said.
Be wary of clericalism
Pope urges priests to “be wary of clericalism”. But clericalism “can involve all people, including lay people and pastoral workers”, who “perform their functions and charism with a priestly attitude, living out their calling in an elite way, closed in their own erect walls inside and outside the group, create possessiveness in the role of the group, and develop an attitude of arrogance and arrogance towards others.”
The Pope then pointed out the obvious symptoms of this pathology: complaining, being negative everywhere, being dissatisfied with everything. “In this way, a person is occupied by the atmosphere of criticism and anger around him, instead of the simplicity and gentleness of the Gospel. Humility and respect for others can help brothers and sisters get out of this quicksand of intolerance”.
“Don’t be discouraged!”
We have many weaknesses and many deficiencies, the Pope concludes, but “do not be discouraged!” The Pope exhorted the priests of the diocese of Rome, “roll up your sleeves and kneel: let us pray to the Holy Spirit for each other and ask him for help. In our personal life and pastoral action, we must not fall into the appearance of faith that is full of other things but without God, not as officials of religious offices, but as passionate preachers of the Gospel, not as priests of the ‘state’ ’, but shepherds of the people”.
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2023-08-07 07:00:00
