OVERCOMING THE “PRIESTLY” VERSION OF CHRISTIANITY

Put simply: the “sacred man” remains the problem. It must be acknowledged that ours is a “priestly” version of the Catholic Church. This has not always been, nor does it need to remain, the expression of the Church of Christ, as it seems exhausted in its ability to convey Christianity. In the current structure of the Latin American and Caribbean Church, ecclesial belonging is mediated through the sacred person of priests. In our context, the main sacraments are performed by presbyters. Additionally, institutions that officially govern ecclesial life are often seen as divine and unchangeable.

The Latin American and Caribbean Church aspires to advance in synodality. However, as long as the Church clings to the idea of the presbyter, priest, or cleric as the “sacred man,” intra-ecclesial relationships will continue to short-circuit.

These are the most concerning expressions of this situation:

1. The “sacred man” is a problem ad intra (within the Church):

  • The “sacred man” establishes unhealthy relationships: the priest carries an authority that inhibits people’s intelligence and freedom. It is unhealthy for the relationship between the minister and the laity to remain solely asymmetrical (they should also be symmetrical, as between adults).
  • The “sacred man” infantilizes both individuals and the Church itself, which is led by pastors who treat Christians as sheep (an animal not known for intelligence).
  • The magical aura of presbyters fosters and enables abuses of a sexual, conscientious, and authoritative nature, as highlighted in reports from Australia and France on these issues.
  • The “sacred man” centers the Church/communities around what only he can do (sacraments). He does not foster communities but rather creates an “audience,” “clients,” or “faithful” (a “loyalized” following).
  • The priest exalts himself and others in a self-referential way.

2. The “sacred man” is a problem ad extra (outside the Church):

  • It frustrates the Church’s evangelizing mission: Jesus did not demand recognition of “sacredness”; instead, he invoked his union with the Father as the foundation of the Kingdom’s advent. Jesus did not aspire to be “sacred” but sought to be compassionate.
  • Jesus was a victim of an “auto-sacralized” institution. Therefore, the “priestly” Catholicism we have today serves as an anti-testimony of the Gospel.

To foster growth in synodality, reforms of structures and conversions of the heart are necessary. Both are mutually dependent. Here, we focus on one issue: the formation of clergy (both religious and diocesan).

The Narrative Synthesis Document of the Latin American and Caribbean Ecclesial Assembly states: “Eradicate clericalization. Change the vision and mission of seminaries because they are where clericalism is forged” (2021, p. 135). Elsewhere, it adds: “Clericalism begins to form from the moment candidates enter seminary” (p. 107). Across the continent, we observe that the doctrine of the Second Vatican Council has been received incompletely. Even more concerning, in many places, this teaching has simply been forgotten. This shortfall is evident in the Ratio norms for seminarian formation.

As a precedent for overcoming this problem, it is worth recalling how the Council of Trent (16th century) responded to a profound ecclesial crisis caused by various abuses by bishops and priests. To address these issues, it created seminaries that separated seminarians from the rest of society, emphasized the cultivation of virtues among young men, stressed the Eucharist as a sacrifice rather than a meal, and funneled the life of the Church through priestly actions (sacraments).

If Trent emphasized the sacraments, Vatican II (20th century) emphasized the preaching of the Gospel. It sought dialogue with the Protestant Reformation (which prompted Trent’s response) and modernity (which threatened to marginalize the Church into fideism). Vatican II highlighted the importance of the Word (Dei Verbum), demanded that presbyters prioritize its proclamation (Presbyterorum Ordinis), sought to make Scripture the “soul of theology” studied by seminarians (Optatam Totius), emphasized the common priesthood of the faithful and subordinated ministerial priesthood to it, and promoted the sanctity of all baptized people, aiming to abolish “states of perfection” (clerical and religious superiority) (Lumen Gentium). Additionally, Vatican II engaged the Church in dialogue with cultures and contemporary issues (Gaudium et Spes).

However, Vatican II failed to harmonize theological innovations regarding presbyters and their formation. Its documents juxtaposed these innovations with Tridentine elements. The Council tolerated contradiction. The most complex issue has been the persistence of clerical superiority based on ordination.

After years of experimentation and identity crises among priests, John Paul II took a definitive stance. In Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992)—a document reinterpreting Optatam Totius—he declared: “It is time to speak courageously about priestly life as an inestimable value and a splendid and privileged form of Christian life” (n. 39). According to Gilles Routhier, since then, “through successive shifts, the priesthood, increasingly viewed through the lens of the sacerdotal category, has been re-established as a state of perfection. After fifty years, the perspective introduced by Vatican II has been practically reversed” (2014).

Recommendations

  1. A theological harmonization of documents regarding the identity and mission of presbyters is necessary, as they contain elements of the old regime that facilitate a return to Tridentine seminaries, which isolate seminarians from the world and send them back into it as sacred individuals superior to others.
  2. Formation systems must avoid separating seminarians from ordinary people. Instead, seminarians should engage in affective, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral relationships that, following the paradigm of the Incarnation, make them more human.
  3. The formation of future ministers should be the responsibility of the entire People of God. Catholics must have a decisive voice in accepting candidates for formation and ordination and in establishing the criteria governing this lengthy process.

Comments are closed.