By Russell Shaw
Speaking to 800 priests at the shrine of Fatima in Portugal, the cardinal who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy recently leveled criticism at priests for whom the priesthood has become “a kind of ecclesiastical profession which they carry out as civil servants.” Having only news reports to go on, I strongly suspect Cardinal Claudio Hummes said more than just that. I certainly hope so, because, although the comment contains much truth, it is seriously inadequate as it stands. In this current Year for Priests it’s important to point out why.
My biggest objection to the remark as reported concerns the slighting use of the expression “ecclesiastical profession.” What I suspect the cardinal meant — and what’s true enough — is that the priesthood isn’t just one more job alongside others. In making this perfectly reasonable point, however, it’s a mistake to say or imply that there’s something intrinsically wrong with, or at least inferior about, professions and jobs in general.
The Christian ideal of work is to do one’s job, whatever it may be, for the glory of God and the service of other human beings. Many people in many lines of work try to do exactly that each day. There is every reason for priests to try to do it, too. Looking down our noses at the notion of “profession” isn’t helpful to that.
Nor is it helpful to suggest that there’s something wrong with having priests approach their work with a professional attitude. To be professional means doing one’s best to meet high standards of excellence in one’s work. People who aren’t professional are prepared to settle for sloppy, careless, just-getting-by performance. Surely this is not what we want of our priests.
I also take exception to the slap at priests who function as “civil servants” in the Church. Over the years I’ve encountered many of these men in chancery offices, national organizations, the Holy See, and other settings, and — making allowance for the occasional time-server — I’ve found many to be admirable priests whose administrative tasks are as much an expression of their priestly commitment as preparing a homily or teaching a catechism class.
True, priests in this situation often feel a need for some form of directly pastoral work on the side — to keep their hand in, as it were — and I admire them for that. But this is not a reflection on their office work as such.
Around the time Cardinal Hummes made his remarks, Pope Benedict XVI also spoke to a group of Brazilian bishops about the priesthood. In this case, I have the advantage of having the full text of the pope’s remarks, and I find them notably more nuanced and helpful than the snippets attributed to the cardinal.
The pope’s central statement was this: “The role of the priest is essential and irreplaceable for the proclamation of the word and for the celebration of the sacraments.” That was said in the context of a discourse touching on questions raised about lay and clergy roles in the changing circumstances of today’s Church, including the shortage of priests in some places.
Against this background, Benedict insisted, there is need for a “harmonious, correct and clear deepening of the relationship between the common priesthood [the baptismal priesthood or priesthood of the faithful] and the ministerial [ordained] priesthood.” The more aware lay people become of their responsibilities in the Church, he said, “the more clearly stand out the priest’s identity and his irreplaceable role.”
Here’s a challenge and an opportunity for us all.
Visit 
Posts
4 comments:
I agree with alot you said, but perhaps he is hitting on some key points.
For many priests, the title "Fr. " has become synonymous with "Pr." or "Doctor". I think there are some priests who lean too much on the professional side of it (IE I where a cool suit, I have a fancy title, etc), and less on the pastoral side (ie going as far as being arrested to defend life, Praying with the Widow (though some would argue thats a primary job of deacons), Teaching the Gospel without reserve, etc)
I know in my experience, I have had very few priests that I have considered not so much "Pastoral", (and truly earning the title "Father") as much as they set themselves up as the wise old man in the parish.
Of course, as you pointed out, different priests carry out their call differently. But I think perhaps the cardinal was speaking from their chief responsibility as being "Pastor of Souls". This is after all their charge on ordination.
Without seeming judgemental, would it not have been better to actually read the complete remarks from the Cradinal before writing the article?
I cannot speak for the cardinal, but I have an immediate sympathy for the idea implied by the sound byte: "Priests should not simply be professional, civil servants."
To give a little background, I am a first year law student. My law school is trying to beat into us that we must be "professional" in all circumstances. What they seem to mean by professional is a sort of formalistic presentation and a conventional consideration of worthy work, apart from the substance or the purpose of that work.
Some priests seem to thing that their priestliness is improved by researching the Bible like biblical scholars. Or becoming invovled in some community outreach program. Or including jokes and pop culture references in their homilies to make them more relatable to people. This seems like a formalistic, conventional standard of a priest as civil servant.
Priests certainly have many responsibilities. But their essential responsibility is to be holy. Many priests who are trying to engage in biblical "scholarship" seem to do so at the expense of the Faith. (For instance, a priest's comments like "the official author of this text" or other statements looking at why one of the four evangelists included such and such a passage.) Biblical scholarship carries with it the air of "professionalism", but often smacks of faithlessness, i.e. the world's standards rather than God's.
A holy priest is the only kind of priest God wants. From how I see it, the "professional" practices of a priest are supplanting cliched, worldly considerations in place of what constitutes good work.
A priest who has undivided and unequivocal Faith in God inspires we day-to-day workers, and is doing an infinitely better job than a priest who is trying to be "professional", when professional means what I think it has come to mean. A priest who Loves others and does not count the cost, a priest who Hopes to be included in the communion of saints, a priest who through prayer, penance and his priestly work strives to be holy is really the best priest there is. In other words, I think a priest who takes the Faith and does not add the world is the true standard of a good priest.
Professionalism, as imagined by our society, really has little to do with holy work. For priests or for lawyers, or for anyone.
No one should strive to a "high standard". At best, that is simply not specific enough. Rather, we should all submit ourselves to the Faith's standard, and not the "high standards" that the world might suggest.
I have experienced many priest who clock in and clock out, so to speak. They do their time in the box, show up for Mass, even take sometime to pray. But, the priesthood happens to be their chosen profession. They do not like to do priestly things on their time off, even to the point of being annoyed by it, and they only wear their uniform when they are working, least they be called upon to work when they are 'off duty.' They tend to spend more time in the office and at meetings than on pastoral / sacramental care. They are extremely grateful when the 'work' of Holy Week in finally over and complain about how busy they are all the time (as though the rest of us are sitting around eat Bon Bons!) They think of the priesthood as noble profession. Those are the priest to whom the cardinal was talking.
Post a Comment