It’s the same old, same old—a kind of backhanded compliment and boy does it sting.
In his letter to the priests of Rome, this is included toward the end of it. (You can read Vatican News’ fuller story on this HERE):
“Let us, therefore, remain vigilant towards clericalism,” is Pope Francis’ exhortation. Clericalism “can affect everyone, even lay people and pastoral workers: one can in fact assume ‘a clerical spirit’ in carrying out ministries and charisms, living out one’s calling in an elitist manner, closing oneself within one’s own group and erecting walls towards the outside, developing possessive bonds towards roles in the community, cultivating arrogant and boastful attitudes towards others.”
The “symptoms” are then evident: “complaining”, “negativity”, “chronic dissatisfaction with what is wrong”, “irony that becomes cynicism.”
“Thus,” the Pope writes, “one becomes absorbed in the climate of criticism and anger that one breathes around, instead of being the kind of people who, with evangelical simplicity and meekness, with kindness and respect, help their brothers and sisters to come out of the quicksand of intolerance.”
As you can see, if you read the full report, what the pope complains about is what he is as guilty of.
Of course they’re gross generalizations and not a comprehensive view of what a priest must do in service to his people. This pope only speaks of clericalism, be it of a priestly type or how the laity might express it.
He never speaks of the laicization of the priest to the glory of the clericalization of the laity. The latter is a bigger problem at least in some parts of the world.
Clarification of roles is necessary.
And we know that the Vatican II Church has ushered in a kind of clericalism on steroids where the priest loses his priestly character, especially in the manner in which he celebrates Mass, and becomes not a priest but a celebrity, an actor, and animator. Let’s focus on that and how the Ancient Latin Mass avoided that kind of clericalism which today is on steroids in the modern Mass.
3 comments:
How can a layman be guilty of clericalism? He might imitate a cleric or impersonate a cleric or encourage or assist clericalism but I don’t think he can actually be guilty of clericalism as described here. That may tell a lot.
With Father McDonald's permission:
From Bishop Edward Burns (Dallas Diocese):
"World Youth Day is without a doubt a gift, a gift from God inspired by the Holy Spirit through St. John Paul II, and it has been a gift that just continues to give to the church."
"One of the things I learned when I was working at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is that of all the men who are ordained every year to the priesthood, 35 to 38 percent of them went to World Youth Day. This is such an inspirational moment."
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Deo gratias for the tremendous holy success of WYD 2023 A.D.
It has been uplifting to have witnessed the tremendous love of God and His True Church that flowed from the massive amount WYD pilgrims. God has fed our WYD brothers and sisters spiritually. In turn, WYD pilgrims will return to their parishes as evangelizers and peacemakers.
In line with Church teaching, WYD pilgrims will serve also as promoters of Pope Francis. The pilgrims will share with others the tremendous love and respect that they have for Pope Francis.
WYD pilgrims will promote Pope Benedict XVI's holy example of having rendered to his successor (Pope Francis) "unconditional reverence and obedience." The strengthening of the pilgrims' communion with the Pope is among WYD's important contributions to Holy Mother Church.
At one WYD after another, in holy, uplifting fashion, the pilgrims showered Popes Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI, as well as Francis, with tremendous love and respect.
Each WYD has been a holy success as love of God, the Church, and Pope, flowed from the pilgrims to us, as well as the world.
Deo gratias for WYD!
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Father McDonald,
I hope you are not drinking your coffee when reading this but this kind of thinking has perverted Christianity:
"In 2015, David Burge (Iowahawk) posted a now famous tweet describing leftism: "1. Identify a respected institution. 2. Kill it. 3. Gut it. 4. Wear its carcass as a skin suit, while demanding respect." In that short tweet, he perfectly described what leftism has done to Judaism and Christianity. And that act of wearing a religion's "carcass as a skin suit, while demanding respect" is the best caption possible for a video in which a female Presbyterian minister, draped in a Planned Parenthood stole, celebrates her abortion and abortions generally."
This minister is an evil, sick woman.
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