No offense to the Holy Father, but seriously, what social status? Outside of a few areas priests (and the Church in general) aren’t exactly highly esteemed these days, especially in Europe. In Italy there’s so many priests walking around I doubt most people take notice of them. Not to mention the extremely low Mass attendance rate in Italy shows most people don’t care.
In Belgium, when a friend of mine wears his collar in public people actually point and laugh. I shudder to think of what people in Ireland think.
That is why ordinary Catholics such as you and me should be defending the 98.8% of priests at every opportunity.
Last Sunday when I wore my Tshirt with the word Catholic and the chi-rho on it,a woman had the audacity to snigger at me.When I confronted her civilly and asked what was so funny she became flustered and red in the face,she left the store
.I have pro-life and other bumper stickers on my vehicle identifying me and my family as Catholic,we get the odd finger but some smiles too.We have to defend our priests at every opportunity and if I’m at a social gathering and anyone tells a priest or Catholic joke,I dress them down publicly and deliberately embarrass them.
My own priest is cautious about wearing his collar and I don’t blame him,but I speak up for him and his brothers without whom we would have no Eucharist.
This is all about Catholic and non-Catholic Christians elbowing our way back into the centre of the public square that the secularists are so desperately trying to keep us out of.
Bad priests and cowardly Bishops have shot us in the foot but the wound is healing and we must hold our heads up and defend the Faith,defend the Priesthood,and evangelise the ignorant snigglers for the sake of their eternal soul.Christ gave the Apostles a mission for which every one but St John suffered martyrdom,the least we can do is suffer a little public humiliation and opprobriation in our evangelising efforts and ,hey,it’s good for the soul.Our soul
