Pope Francis greets Turkish journalist Esma Cakir, outgoing
president of the Foreign Press Association of Italy, during
an audience with members of the association at the Vatican
this week. Photo: CNS photo / Vatican Media Pope Francis has said that each bishop has a duty to have a strong, close relationship with his priests with a firm warning that episcopal aloofness and favouritism weakens the mission of the Church.
“The relationship between us bishops and our priests is, unquestionably, one of the most vital issues in the life of the Church, it is the backbone on which the diocesan community is based,” Pope Francis told Italian bishops gathered at the Vatican for their annual meeting from May 20-23.
“Unfortunately, some bishops are struggling to establish acceptable relationships with their priests, thus risking the ruin of their mission and even weakening the mission of the Church itself,” he said.
Pope Francis said that bishops need to understand that at this time many priests feel continually under attack because of the crimes of others in the priesthood, and they need encouragement during this difficult time.
“This requires, first of all, closeness to our priests, who need to find the bishop’s door and his heart always open,” he said.
The Pope warned the Italian bishops that hierarchical communion “collapses when it is infected by any form of personal power or self-gratification”, but in turn is strengthened by “a spirit of total abandonment and service to the people of God”.
Francis also stressed that bishops must not “fall into the temptation to approach only the sympathetic priests or flatterers” or to “hand over all responsibilities to available priests or ‘climbers’”.
Importance
In addition to the importance of the relationship between bishops and priests, Pope Francis outlined two other priorities for the Italian bishops’ conference (CEI) assembly taking place in the Vatican’s synod hall this week: synodality and the implementation of a more streamlined annulment process announced in 2015.
“The success of the reform necessarily passes through a conversion of structures and people; and therefore, we do not allow the economic interests of some lawyers or the fear of losing the power of some judicial vicars to hold back or delay the reform,” he said.
The Pope concluded his speech by calling on the bishops to be a spiritual father to each of their priests by taking an interest and finding time to listen to everyone, so that each priest feels valued and encouraged by his bishop.
“If a bishop receives the call of a priest, answer within the day, at most the next day, so that that priest will know that he has a father,” Pope Francis recommended.
“The solid relationship between the bishop and his priests is based on the unconditional love witnessed by Jesus on the Cross, which represents the only real rule of behaviour for bishops and priests,” Pope Francis said.