CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY
Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests
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Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Identity of the Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Christological Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pneumatological Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Ecclesial Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Priestly Communion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Priestly Spirituality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Current Historical Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Being with Christ in Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Pastoral Charity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Preaching the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The Sacrament of the Eucharist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Sacrament of Penance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Guide of the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Priestly Celibacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Obedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Priestly Spirit of Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Devotion to Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Ongoing Formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Means . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Those Responsible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Specific Needs of Certain Age Groups and Special Situations . . . . 73 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Prayer to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 2
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INTRODUCTION The rich experience of the Church concerning the ministry and life of priests, condensed in various documents of the Magisterium,1 has received in our days a new impulse thanks to the teachings contained in the postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis. The publication of this document, in which the Supreme Pontiff has wanted to unite his voice as the Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter to that of the synodal Fathers,2 represents for priests and for the entire Church, the beginning of a faithful and fruitful way of deepening and applying its contents. “Today, in particular, the pressing pastoral task of the new evangelisation calls for the involvement of the entire People of God and requires new fervour, new methods and a new expression for the proclaiming and witnessing of the Gospel. This task demands priests who are deeply and fully immersed in the mystery of Christ and capable of embodying a new style of pastoral life�.3 Those primarily responsible for this new evangelisation of the third Millennium are the priests, who, however, in order to realise their mission, need to nourish in themselves a life which is a pure reflection of their identity, and to live a union of love with Jesus Christ Eternal High Priest, Head and Master, Spouse, and Pastor of his Church. They should strengthen their own spirituality and ministry with a continuous and complete formation. 1
Among the most recent documents, cf. ECUMENICAL. COUNCIL VATICAN II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium 28; Decree on Priestly Formation Optatam Totius 22; Decree on the pastorale Office of the Bishops Christus Dominus 16; Decree on the Ministry and life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis; PAUL Vl, Encyclical Letter Sacerdotalis coelibatus (24th June 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 657697;S. CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY, Circular letter Inter ea (4th November 1969): AAS 62(1970), 123-134; SYNOD OF BISHOPS, Document on the Ministerial Priesthood Ultimis temporibus (30th November 1971): AAS 63 (1971), 898-922; Codex Iuris Canonici can. 273-289;232-264;1008-1054; CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutiones Sacerdotalis (19th March 1985), 101; JOHN PAUL II, Letters to all the Priests of the Church on Holy Thursday; Catechesi on Priests, in the General Audiences from 31st March to 22nd September 1993.
2
JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis (25th March 1992): AAS 84(1992), 657-804.
Ibid., 18: l.c., 685.
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Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests This Directory, requested by numerous Bishops during the Synod of 1990 and in a general consultation of the Episcopate promoted by our Congregation, was conceived in order to respond to these needs. In order to outline the content, the suggestions of the entire world episcopate – consulted on purpose –, the results of plenary sessions of the Congregation held in the Vatican in October of 1993, as well as the considerations of many theologians, and experts on the matter from diverse geographical areas and involved in current pastoral work were taken into account. Effort was made to offer practical elements for employing initiatives in the most unitary way possible, while avoiding specific conditions which are proper to a particular Diocese or Episcopal Conference. With this in mind, it appeared proper that this Directory recall only those doctrinal elements which are the basis of the identity, spirituality and continuous formation of priests. The document, therefore, does not intend to offer an exhaustive exposition on the priesthood, nor a mere repetition of what has already been authentically declared by the Magisterium of the Church, but rather to respond to the principal questions of a doctrinal, disciplinary and pastoral nature, placed upon the priests by the demands of the new evangelisation. Thus, for example, there was a need to clarify the true priestly identity, as the divine Master has willed and as the Church has always seen; it is not reconcilable with those tendencies which would like to empty or annul the reality of the ministerial priesthood. Particular emphasis was given to the theme of communion, a demand especially felt today, with its imminent presence in the life of the priest. The same can be said of priestly spirituality which, in our times, has suffered many contradictions, above all, due to secularism and an erroneous anthropologism. Therefore, it is necessary to offer some counsels for an adequate and permanent formation which may help the priests joyfully and responsibly live their vocation. The text is directed of course, through the Bishops, to all the priests of the Church of the Latin Rite. The directives contained here concern, in particular, the secular diocesan clergy, although with due adaptations, they can also help priests of religious institutes and of societies of apostolic life. It is hoped that this Directory be a help for every priest in deepening his identity and in growing in his spirituality; an encouragement in the 4
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Introduction ministry and permanent formation – for which each one is primarily responsible –, and a point of reference for a rich and authentic apostolate for the good of the Church and of the entire world. From the Congregation for the Clergy, Holy Thursday 1994. JOSÉ Card. SANCHEZ Prefect ✠ CRESCENZIO SEPE Titular Archbishop of Grado Secretary
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Chapter I THE IDENTITY OF THE PRIEST 1. Priesthood as a gift The entire Church participates in the priestly anointing of Christ in the Holy Spirit. In the Church, in fact, “all the faithful form a holy and royal priesthood, offer spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ and proclaim the greatness of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (cf. 1 Pt 2:5. 9).4 In Christ, his entire Mystical body is united to the Father through the Holy Spirit for the salvation of all men. However, the Church cannot carry out this mission alone: all of her work intrinsically needs communion with Christ, the Head of his Body. Indissolubly united to her Lord, she continuously receives from him the effects of grace and truth, of guidance and support so that she may be for all and for each one “a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men”.5 The ministerial priesthood finds its reason for being in light of this vital and operative union of the Church with Christ. As a result, through this ministry the Lord continues to accomplish among his People the work which as Head of his Body belongs to him alone. Thus, the ministerial priesthood renders tangible the actual work of Christ, the Head, and gives witness to the fact that Christ has not separated himself from his Church; rather he continues to vivify her through his everlasting priesthood. For this reason, the Church considers the ministerial priesthood a gift given to Her through the ministry of some of her faithful. This gift which was instituted by Christ to continue his own salvific mission was conferred upon the Apostles and remains in the Church through the Bishops and their successors. 2. Sacramental Roots Through the sacramental ordination conferred by the imposition of hands and the consecratory prayers of the Bishop, “a specific ontological 4
ECUMENICAL COUNCIL VATICAN II, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2.
5
ECUMENICAL COUNCIL VATICAN II, Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 1.
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The Identity of the Priest bond which unites the priest to Christ, High Priest and Good Shepherd”6 is established. Thus, the identity of the priest comes from the specific participation in the Priesthood of Christ, in which the one ordained becomes, in the Church and for the Church, a real, living and faithful image of Christ the Priest, “a sacramental representation of Christ, Head and Shepherd”.7 Through consecration, the priest “receives a spiritual ‘power’ as a gift which is a participation in the authority with which Jesus Christ, through his Spirit, guides the Church”.8 This sacramental identification with the Eternal High Priest specifically inserts the priest into the trinitarian mystery and, through the mystery of Christ, into the ministerial Communion of the Church so as to serve the People of God.9 3. In Communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit If it is true that each Christian, by means of Baptism, is in communion with God, One and Triune, it is equally true that by the power of the consecration received with the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest is placed in a particular and specific relation with the Father, with the Son and with the Holy Spirit. In fact, “Our identity has its ultimate source in the charity of the Father. He sent the Son, High Priest and Good Shepherd, and we are united sacramentally with the ministerial priesthood through the action of the Holy Spirit. The life and the ministry of the priest are a continuation of the life and the action of the same Christ. This is our identity, our true dignity, the fountain of our joy, the certainty of our life”.10 Therefore, the identity, the ministry and the existence of the priest are essentially related to the three divine Persons for priestly service to the Church. 4. In the Trinitarian Dynamics of Salvation The priest, “as a visible continuation and sacramental sign of Christ 6
JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, 11: l.c., 675.
7
Ibid., 15: l.c., 680.
8
Ibid., 21: l.c., 688; cf. ECUMENICAL COUNCIL VATICAN II, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, 2; 12.
9
CF JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, 12c: l.c., 676.
10
Ibid., 18, l.c., 685-686; Message of the Synod Fathers to the People of God (28th October 1990), III: “L’Osservatore Romano”, 29th-30th October 1990.
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Chapter II PRIESTLY SPIRITUALITY Current Historical Context 34. Interpreting the Signs of the Times The life and ministry of priests always develop within a particular historical context, at times replete with new problems and unforeseen changes, in which the pilgrim Church lives. The priesthood is not born of history, but of the immutable will of God. However, it corresponds with historical circumstances and, to remain always faithful to its nature, is configured, in specific choices, through a critical relation and a demand of evangelical harmony with the ‘sign of the times’. Therefore, priests have the duty to interpret these ‘signs’ in the light of faith and subject them to prudent judgement. In any case, they cannot ignore them, especially if they wish to effectively orient their own lives in a way that will make their service and testimony more fruitful for the kingdom of God. In the current era of the life of the Church and society, priests are called to live their ministry with depth, anticipating the ever more profound, numerous and sensitive demands not only of a pastoral nature, but also social and cultural, which they must face.102 Today these priests, therefore, are engaged in diverse areas of apostolate which require complete dedication and generosity, intellectual preparation and, above all, a mature and deep spiritual life rooted in pastoral charity, which is their specific way to holiness and which also constitutes an authentic service to the faithful through pastoral ministry. 35. The Demands of the New Evangelisation Thus it is clear that the priest is involved in a very special way in the effort of the entire Church to carry out the new evangelisation. Based on faith in Jesus Christ, Redeemer of mankind, the priest is assured that in him rests 102
Cf. JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, 5: l.c., 663-665.
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Priestly Spirituality an “unfathomable richness” (Ep 3:8) which no culture nor era can exhaust which men can always draw on for their enrichment.103 This is a time therefore for a renewal of our faith in Jesus Christ, who is the same “yesterday, today and for ever” (Heb 13:8). Therefore “the call to the new evangelisation is above all a call to conversion’’.104 At the same time, it is a call to that hope, “which rests upon the promises of God, on the fidelity to his Word, and which has the resurrection of Christ as an unshakeable certainty, his definitive victory over sin and death, the first announcement and root of every evangelisation, foundation of every human advancement, the starting point of every authentic Christian culture’’.105 In this context, the priest must above all revive his faith, his hope and his sincere love for the Lord, in such a way as to be able to present him for the contemplation of the faithful and all men as he truly is: a living and fascinating Person, who loves us more than anyone else because he has given his life for us; “greater love has no man than this, that a man give his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). At the same time, the priest, conscious that each person is, in diverse ways, looking for a love that is capable of bringing them beyond the anguishes concomitant with human weakness and egoism, and above all with death itself, must proclaim that Jesus Christ is the answer to all these anxieties. In the new evangelisation, the priest is called to be the herald of hope.106 36. The Challenge of Sects and New Cults The proliferation of sects and new cults, as well as their diffusion also among the Catholic faithful, constitutes a particular challenge to the pastoral ministry. At the root of these phenomena lie complex causes. At all events, the priestly ministry is called to respond promptly and incisively to the search for the sacred and for authentic spirituality which today is emerging in a particular way. In recent years, in effect, it has become evident that there is an eminently pastoral necessity for the priest to be a man of God and a teacher of prayer. 103
Cf. JOHN PAUL II, Inaugural Address to the IV General Conference of Latin American Bishops (Santo Domingo, 12th-28th October 1992), n. 24: AAS 85 (1993), 826.
104
Ibid., 1: l.c., 808-809.
105
Ibid., 25: l.c., 827.
106
Cf. ibid.
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