Vatican City, 13 May 2014 (VIS) –
Yesterday afternoon in the Paul VI Hall the Holy Father received in
audience the rectors and alumni of the Pontifical colleges and
residences of Rome. Some of the priests and seminarians, who are from
all over the world and study in Rome, posed questions to the Pope who
answered spontaneously, without a prepared text, with an “open
heart”. A dialogue made up of more than ten questions, addressing
themes such as the priesthood, temptations, and challenges of
consecrated life. Before he began, the Pope addressed a special
message of closeness to the Christians of Ukraine and the Middle
East, emphasising that the Church still suffers greatly today, in
many parts of the world, as a result of persecution.
The Holy Father spoke about the danger
of “academicism”, or rather the risk that seminarians return to
their dioceses simply as graduates rather than fathers, as priests,
in response to a question from an American seminarian. He mentioned
the four pillars of the formation of priests, which must be
cultivated so as not to fall into the trap of “academicism”:
spiritual, academic, communitarian and apostolic formation. A
seminarian from China asked about community life, to which Pope
Francis responded that it is impossible to prepare oneself for the
priesthood alone; it must take place within a community, taking great
care to overcome the capital sins that may arise in relations with
one's brethren. “Never, ever speak about others behind their
backs!” he said. “If I have something against someone, or I do
not agree with them, I tell them directly. … Gossip is the scourge
of a community; one must always speak with someone face to face, and
pray for those with whom there are problems”.
Similarly, he advised them to be
patient, to study hard and to make the most of all the opportunities
offered them during their stay outside their countries of origin. He
also urged them to seek calm through prayer and, in turbulent
moments, to take refuge under the mantle of the Mother of God.
“Because a good relationship with the Mother helps us to stay in
good relations with the Church”. The Pope added that there is only
one path to leadership in priestly life: service. “Service means
doing the will of others, over and over again. Reject the path of
money or vanity and be a servant, armed with humility”.
A seminarian from Cameroon asked how
the various dimensions of the ministry can co-exist in a balanced
way, to which Pope Francis responded that it was necessary to be
vigilant, careful and organised. “The ideal is to end the day
tired. … But with a good tiredness, not a reckless tiredness, that
is harmful to your health over time”. In response to another
question on how one should be a priest in view of the new
evangelisation, the Pope commented that it is important to reach out
of oneself, and to be close to the people. “A cordial closeness, a
closeness of love, but also a physical closeness”. He added that
the closeness of a pastor to his people can be measured by the paying
attention to his homilies. He admitted that “in general, our
homilies are not good – they are conferences or lessons”, and he
emphasised that boring homilies on abstract subjects resemble school.
“We are behind in this respect”, he admitted; “it is one of the
points of conversion that the Church needs today: to improve homilies
so that people can understand better”.
Finally, the Pope responded to a Polish
seminarian who asked his advice on how to remain willing and happy in
service to the people of God. Francis commented on the great
importance of meeting with people, with the bishop and with other
priests, but without fear. “Perhaps you have some inner
reservations, but you must never be afraid”, and he added that “one
of the treasures that you must cultivate is priestly friendship”.
Before taking his leave, the Pope encouraged the to be “friends to
all those whom the Lord places before you”. “Priestly friendship
is the strength of perseverance, apostolic joy, courage, and also
humour”.