Pope explains Year for Priests: to rediscover the essence of ministry
June 24, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI broke from his series of weekly talks on the Church fathers at his public audience on June 24, to speak instead about the Year for Priests that he had inaugurated on June 19. The purpose of this year, he said, is to help priests "rediscover and revive an awareness of the extraordinary and indispensable gift of Grace which the ordained ministry represents, for the person who receives it, for the entire Church, and for the world which would be lost without the real presence of Christ."
"In a world in which the common view of life leaves ever less space for the sacred, in place of which 'functionality' becomes the only decisive category, the Catholic concept of priesthood could risk losing its due regard, sometimes even in the ecclesial conscience," the Holy Father continued. The remedy, he said, is for priests to "identify themselves completely with Christ Who died and rose again."
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
