VATICAN CITY (CNS): Pope John Paul II said the figure of the modern priest needs to be presented to young people in a more attractive and compelling way.
That task includes explaining clearly the “essential dimension” of priestly celibacy to a public that may not easily understand its value, the Pope told a group of French bishops on January 24.
The bishops were on their ad limina visits to the Vatican, made every five years. Like previous groups from France, they reported a sharp drop in the number of priests and seminarians.
The Pope devoted virtually his entire talk to the problem, saying it was important to face the clergy shortage with realism but without giving in to discouragement.
The drop in vocations is not simply the Church’s fault, he said. It also reflects “social changes, new forms of behaviour, the loss of moral and religious values and a widespread consumerist attitude”, he said.
The Pope said the key challenge is to reaffirm the identity of the priest, which has grown less and less clear in modern society.
“In effect, how can young people be attracted to a form of life whose beauty and grandeur they don’t fully understand, and if priests themselves don’t make a point of expressing their enthusiasm for the mission of the Church?” he said.
