When dioceses are faced with a lack of priests, Pope Benedict said, they should not resort to “a more active and abundant participation of the laity” since it could take away from their own lay calling. Fulfilling the lay vocation, he explained, involves working to “give expression in real life - also through political commitment - to the Christian view of anthropology and the social doctrine of the Church.”
On the other hand, “priests must distance themselves from politics in order to favour the unity and communion of all the faithful, thus becoming a point of reference for everyone,” Benedict said.
“The truth is that the greater the faithful’s awareness of their own responsibilities within the Church, the clearer becomes the specific identity and inimitable role of the priest as pastor of the entire community, witness to the authenticity of the faith, and dispenser of the mysteries of salvation in the name of Christ the Head,” Benedict was quoted as saying by the Catholic News Agency.
Making the remarks in an audience with bishops visiting from Brazil, the pontiff said that while the lay faithful share in the “common priesthood,” they are not ordained ministers of Christ and His Church.
“Hence,” the Pope cautioned, “it is important to avoid the secularisation of clergy and the ‘clericalisation’ of the laity.”
“The function of the clergy is essential and irreplaceable in announcing the Word and celebrating the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist,” he insisted, saying that for this reason it is “vital to ask the Lord to send workers for His harvest; and it is necessary that priests express joy in their faithfulness to their identity.”
He exhorted the bishops to encourage new priestly vocations and to provide better training and support for existing clergy.
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