Pope Francis today marked the start of the February 17-19 conference, titled “For a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood,” in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, by offering a rather long and personal reflection on his 52 years as a priest of God, and giving both practical and spiritual advice to every priest.
He emphasized the call to holiness in a priest’s life, and counseled his brothers, when confronting the “epochal change” of today: “I prefer instead the response born of a trusting acceptance of reality, anchored in the wise and living Tradition of the Church, which enables us to put out into the deep without fear.”
There was, he said, “no theory here, I’m speaking about what I lived.”
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Pope Francis Gives Personal Reflection on 52 Years of Priesthood (link)
The Pope’s speech marked the start of the summit “For a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood,” taking place on Feb. 17-19 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
By Hannah Brockhaus, CNA
February 17, 2022
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Thursday offered a long reflection on his more than 52 years of priesthood, giving advice to other clerics in what he said might be the “swan song” of his priestly life.
The 85-year-old Pope said on Feb. 17 that there is “no theory here, I’m speaking about what I lived,” as he gave the opening remarks at a three-day conference on the theology of the priesthood.
“It may be that these reflections are the ‘swan song’ of my own priestly life, but I can assure you that they are the fruit of my own experience,” he said.
In the frank speech, Francis said that he had seen positive witnesses of the priesthood and walked with men whose “ministry had become barren, repetitive, and meaningless.”
He added that he too had faced times of difficulty and desolation in his vocation, saying that there were moments of darkness in his own life when closeness to God was indispensable to sustain him.
The Pope’s speech marked the start of the summit “For a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood,” taking place on Feb. 17-19 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. The symposium was first announced in April 2021.
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