Cardinal Piacenza explains 'crisis' of Catholic priesthood
- Thread starter The_Reginator
- Start date
- Status
M
manualman
Guest
The crisis in the priesthood merely mirrors the crisis in the laity. It’s not like we’re from separate worlds. If there is massive faithlessness in the lay ranks, who can be surprised that they produce few seminarians? What surprises me is how MANY young men and women are open to religious and priestly vocations today. They’re almost universally fantastic candidates today too.
IMO the crisis in the priesthood peaked years ago and is improving rapidly. The crisis in laity still looms large.
S
St_Francis
Guest
I loved reading this! His love for Christ just shone through his words! Thank you for posting it 
I
irishpatrick
Guest
Awesome. I state routinely that Catholic love and adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the key. Many Catholics appear to not understand who they receive each time they go to Communion. Of course, many Catholics do understand, but several years back there was a survey which reflected that 70% of all Catholics in the USA did not believe in the Real Presence. Can there be any doubt why the faith has problems if such survey results are true?
Further, it is my view, that how the Catholic Church (and Catholics) go, so goes the culture, the nation and the world.
IMO, the crisis of the laity stems from the crisis in the priesthood. The laity wouldn’t be where we are now if we would have had strong, orthodox, priests and bishops.
M
manualman
Guest
My stand on such things is: “When in doubt, avoid scapegoating and take more than what you FEEL is your share of the blame.” Helps to counteract the fallen human tendency of passing the buck.
R
Rich_Olszewski
Guest
I believe that absolutely.
W
wisdomseeker
Guest
I would love to see our courageous priest going back to wear their garments everywhere and our nuns too. These are the greatest witnessess to our Faith. I know that many would convert. The world is thirst for mysticism and holiness. Catholics clergy dropped the signs and now we are left with rambling away which it does no good.
C
curlycool89
Guest
There can be some good reasons not to be dressed in full clericals and collar all the time. For one, priests do get vacations too (they burn out otherwise).
I heard a funny story about a canonists who once let it slip he was one while on a plane. A person next to him (who may or may not have even lived in the same jurisdiction) then immediately wanted him to handle their annulment. I can’t imagine essentially being held captive for an hour with a situation that with likely something he couldn’t help with.
D
domandcarols
Guest
H
Hokomai
Guest
I often find Vatican writing incomprehensible, and was interested in this because it seems to be a transcript of an oral interview with Cardenal Piacenza. He seems to be a powerful speaker, and I understood much of what he said. but the interview is peppered with what statements that seem to me to mean nothing, or to mean nothing because they mean everything. For example:
“In Catholic theology, image and reality are never separate”.
“…at the service of others, of their authentic and comprehensive well-being, whether spiritual or material, and of the good of the community as such”.
“…that evangelical radicalness and fidelity which should always characterize an authentic minister of Christ”.
“…the unsurpassed historicity of the act of the Incarnation”.
“…” the perennial authentic reform of the Church.
“…a movement of reparation and penetration”.
I suppose if I spent several years in study it is possible I would recognise all these as references to something I don’t know about. But this is an interview with a news agency. Why can’t Vatican officials just say what they mean, without going in for all this Dali Lama-type obscurity?
“In Catholic theology, image and reality are never separate”.
“…at the service of others, of their authentic and comprehensive well-being, whether spiritual or material, and of the good of the community as such”.
“…that evangelical radicalness and fidelity which should always characterize an authentic minister of Christ”.
“…the unsurpassed historicity of the act of the Incarnation”.
“…” the perennial authentic reform of the Church.
“…a movement of reparation and penetration”.
I suppose if I spent several years in study it is possible I would recognise all these as references to something I don’t know about. But this is an interview with a news agency. Why can’t Vatican officials just say what they mean, without going in for all this Dali Lama-type obscurity?
W
wisdomseeker
Guest
You have a point. It seems that everybody is afraid to be straigth to the point. Instead they go around and around instead of ordering. If they ordered there will be obedience. Just have the courage to say it.
T
Thomas_Redd
Guest
Where in our earliest church traditions are priests required to wear 500 year old outfits? I am sorry but when I see clergy preen in these outfits it really pushes me away from our God, who lowered Himself to become one of us and even dying the death of a slave. I am not talking about a clerical collar which is a modern intrepretation of a religious garb. It is simple and appropriate. I am talking about the sad tendancy of some priests to once again start going around in cassocks and other 500 year old getups. These garments are worn to demand respect. We call nuns, “sisters” yet they used to wear outfits that says the exact opposite. Even the Pope who should know better as the successor to Peter, a simple fisherman, loves to wear ermine fur which is a symbol of royalty. He even wore it in the USA. I am sorry but this is just plain wrong. You know, the changes brought by the Second Vatican Council were really needed. The crisis in the priesthood has nothing to do with the Council. In fact, it would have been worse if the Church had not worked to return to its authentic traditions, not these later “faux” traditions that people are trying to push back on us.
W
wisdomseeker
Guest
You left me without words. I suggest you my brother to be in your knees before God and pray for humility. I say this out of love for you.
M
Mrs_Sally
Guest
I haven’t read the whole article yet. I will go back and do it. Just wanted to comment briefly on clerical/religious dress. Br JReducation, who posts here regularly has some great insight into why different priests and religious wear what they do. I highly recommend a search on the topic.
The basic point is that each religious congregation is supposed to be wearing the habit or clothing as proscribed by their founder. Many orders developed a habit over time that wasn’t what their founder wanted. As order have gone back to their original charism, they have also returned to the founder’s wishes in terms of dress.
For some this means a return to what we consider a traditional habit, but for many others, specifically the active (not cloistered) orders we see most commonly, it means wearing clothes that do not distinguish them from the people they work among. So, you see sisters wearing ordinary clothing because that is what the founder wanted.
For certain orders, particularly nursing orders, they have modified their clothing to fall in line with our current understanding of hygiene. A nurse in a long habit and “winged” veil would be a walking germ dispenser!
The basic point is that each religious congregation is supposed to be wearing the habit or clothing as proscribed by their founder. Many orders developed a habit over time that wasn’t what their founder wanted. As order have gone back to their original charism, they have also returned to the founder’s wishes in terms of dress.
For some this means a return to what we consider a traditional habit, but for many others, specifically the active (not cloistered) orders we see most commonly, it means wearing clothes that do not distinguish them from the people they work among. So, you see sisters wearing ordinary clothing because that is what the founder wanted.
For certain orders, particularly nursing orders, they have modified their clothing to fall in line with our current understanding of hygiene. A nurse in a long habit and “winged” veil would be a walking germ dispenser!
T
Thomas_Redd
Guest
I say this out of love for you and the Church. Should the Pope wear ermine fur and other golden and jewel encrusted outfits? Did Jesus even remotely encourage this? No he constantly discouaraged these kinds of displays. The Gospels are incredible. Please read the Gospels. Jesus was quite clear. I get on my knees and always thank God for these “words of eternal life.”
By the way, your suggestion that I pray for humility so that I agree with you is really much more a lack of humilty than my suggestion that we follow the Gospels. But I understand, we are all weak sinners after all. I know I am.
N
NewEnglandPriest
Guest
While there’s nothing wrong with wearing 500 year outfits, there is a danger in limiting the Catholic tradition to just those aspects of the past 500 or so years…
N
NewEnglandPriest
Guest
It is not so much the individual that wears them but rather the office. Jesus wore a seamless garment. Such a garment was not something a poor person would wear. Clearly a person of means gave it to Jesus and He happily wore it. If we don’t begrudge Jesus for wearing a gift from someone who recognized his specialness why should we begrudge the Holy Father for wearing something that someone donated who recognized the specialness of the office of the Papacy?
T
TrueLight
Guest
Thank God for those old fashioned priests who wear cassocks.
What a wonderful witness to the world that it is still possible to choose chastity and sacrifice and holiness.
What kind of respect do you think a priest dressed in a cassock will get from a secular world, where priests are under the suspicion of pedophilia?
T
Thomas_Redd
Guest
Thank you for your response. But I do have to say that it is quite a stretch from a seamless garment which Jesus wore to fulfill the scripture that his garments would would not be divided and lots would be cast for them to justifying ermine and other garish outfits for the Pope. Furthermore, how do you know some rich person gave the seamless garment to Jesus? My nun in third grade said that Mary wove it for him. How do you know that someone donated the Pope’s outfits? And even if they did, should not the Pope have set an example and refused them? We just don’t know the details. However----
Let me simply quote something:
"Then addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said, 'The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say, but do not be quided by what they do: since they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them. Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honor at banquets and the front seat in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them, Rabbi.
You however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only on teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23: 1-12.
In spite of all the verbal and mental gymnastics to justify the opposite, don’t you in your deepest heart of heart believe what Jesus said is true?
- Status