Pope Francis defended this Thursday the priestly celibacywhich has recently been questioned by the German bishops, but stressed that “it is a gift” that “requires healthy relationships”, because “without friends and without prayer” it can “become an unbearable weight”.
Francis spoke at the opening of the three-day symposium on the priesthood, promoted by the Congregation of Bishops and in which the Catholic hierarchy will reflect on issues such as celibacy, women and lack of vocationsamong other topics.
The pope opened the symposium today with a long speech in the Paul VI hall before cardinals, bishops and priests in which he stated that “there where the priestly fraternity works and there are bonds of authentic friendship, it is also possible to live with more serenity the choice of celibacy”.
“Celibacy is a gift that the Latin Church safeguards, but it is a gift that, to be lived as sanctification, requires healthy relationships, bonds of authentic esteem and genuine kindness that find their root in Christ. Without friends and without prayer, celibacy can become an unbearable weight and an anti-testimony to the very beauty of the priesthood,” he added.
Celibacy will be one of the topics that will be addressed in this symposium, especially after the German Synodal Way, the initiative in which the bishops analyze current issues of the Church together with laity, was approved with 86 percent of the votes, in a first reading of the document, the point at which he called for a reform of the celibacy requirement for priests.
The pope did not mention the issue of sexual abuse of minors by members of the Church in his speech, but it will be latent in the discussions, as the prefect of the congregation for bishops, Cardinal Marc Armand Ouellet, suggested when in his opening speech he claimed: “What can be expected from a “fundamental theology of the priesthood” in the current historical context dominated by the drama of clergy sexual abuse?”
“This is a timely opportunity to express our sincere sorrow and apologize to the victims, whose lives have been destroyed by abusive and criminal behavior, which has been hidden for too long and treated lightly, out of a desire to protect the institution. and to the perpetrators rather than the victims,” the Canadian cardinal added.
For his part, Francis spoke of the vocational crisis and to the priests he recommended what he called the “four neighborhoods”: Closeness to God, to the priests, to the people of God and to the bishop.
“Many priestly crises have their origin precisely in a poor life of prayer, in a lack of intimacy with the Lord, in a reduction of spiritual life to mere religious practice,” he said, before adding that “very often, for example, in priestly life prayer is lived only as a duty”.
He asked that “the priests pray for the bishops and be encouraged to express their opinion with respect and sincerity” and also requested of the bishops “humility, listening skills, self-criticism and letting yourself be helped”.
He also urged “closeness between priests” because in “many priests the drama of loneliness takes place, of feeling alone”, he called to move away from envy, which he said “torments” religious environments, and assured that he also “there are clerical forms of harassment” of other religious.
He also stressed that “to understand anew the identity of the priesthood, today it is important to live in close relationship with the real life of the people, together with it, without any escape route.”
Well, he said, “pastors who know compassion, opportunity; men with courage able to stop before the fallen and extend their hand”. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
