FIFTY YEARS FROM THE SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL:

A FERTILE LEGACY FOR THE MINISTRY AND THE LIFE OF PRIESTS

Half a century after the XXI Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church, the Church has a duty to represent its teaching and pastoral direction in the different fields of doctrine and of the life of the Ecclesial Community. Therefore, the statements of Vatican II concerning the ministry and the life of priests will be set forth here, in the most concise way possible.

The key texts on the theme from the last session of the Council are the Constitution Lumen Gentium (LG), no. 28, and the Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis (PO).

LG no. 28 begins by remembering Christ’s institution of the sacred ministry and its transmission from the apostles to the bishops, their successors. This establishes the distinction, within the priestly order in the Church, between priest-bishops and priest-presbyters. In the latter case, sacred Ordination enables the presbyters to exercise the tria munera (threefold priestly office) according to their proper status, “in the image of Christ the Eternal and High Priest”. Within the tria munera, LG explicitly recognizes the supremacy of the celebration of the altar: priests “exercise their sacred munus to the greatest extent in Eucharistic worship or celebration by which, acting in persona Christi Capitis and proclaiming the mystery of Christ, they unite the prayers of the faithful with the sacrifice of their Head and, in the sacrifice of the Mass, represent and apply the one sacrifice of the New Covenant, namely that of Christ, who offers himself once for all as a spotless Victim to the Father until the coming of the Lord”. In short: for Vatican II, the celebration of the Holy Mass is the summit of the priestly ministry. This is perfectly understandable, since one cannot imagine a greater work that the priest could perform, compared to the sacramental celebration of the sacrifice of Christ himself, which is accomplished in the Holy Eucharist. Added to the celebration of Holy Mass are the other tasks and duties of the priest.

LG then proceeds to examine the collaboration of the priests with the bishops and affirms that priests “constitute one single priesthood with their bishop”, and continues: “In virtue of their common sacred Ordination and mission, all priests are bound together in an intimate fraternity”: here the Council introduces the theme of priestly fraternity, ontologically founded on the sacrament of Orders, rather than merely functionally on the common mission. PO adopts the teaching proposed here.

The Decree PO, published more than a year after LG, states its aim in no. 1: the document is published “in order that, in the present pastoral and human circumstances which are changing profoundly, priests may find a more authentic support in their ministry, and better provision may be made for their lives”. Consequently, while it is nonetheless based on solid doctrinal foundations, the more markedly pastoral character of the Decree is clear.

Some of the principal elements of the teaching on priests will now be examined. The Decree considers priests as servants of Christ (cf. nos. 1; 9; 12; 13; 14; 15) and of their brothers (cf. nos. 6; 9; 12; 15). This implies that priesthood is understood from a Christocentric and ecclesiological view and not as a function of secular administration within human society (the world). The nature of the priesthood is theological: it is a ministry of grace undertaken by a commission from Christ, in favor of the Church. As evidence of this, we note that three times the Decree takes from the theological and magisterial tradition the technical expression, and consequently the doctrine, “in persona Christi” (nos. 2; 12; 13). Also insofar as it addresses the essence of the ordained priesthood, the Decree fully acknowledges the traditional doctrine, locating that doctrine within the power to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice and to forgive sins (no. 2). This truth is expressed by PO in accordance with the ecclesiology of LG, highlighting the importance of the common priesthood of the faithful while also recalling that the powers which belong to and are exclusive to ministerial priests are at the service of the Church, in other words the communion of the faithful in one single body. The declaration of the doctrine that follows from this, which was later called “ecclesiology of communion”, represents a confirmation of the constant doctrine, presented in a new way, which is considered to be more fitting to the present time.

Also the important expression “pastoral charity”, which would have echoed throughout theological literature and in common usage after Vatican II, has come to be strictly connected to the doctrinal foundation, and in particular the Eucharistic foundation, of the priesthood: “Pastoral charity flows above all from the Eucharistic sacrifice; it becomes therefore the center and the origin of the whole life of the priest. Therefore the heart of the priest strives to reflect in himself that which he brings about on the altar of sacrifice” (no. 14).

The Decree also takes up the doctrine of the clear distinction between the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood, which one receives with the sacrament of holy Orders: “The priesthood of the presbyters, although it presupposes the sacraments of Christian initiation, is conferred by that particular sacrament through which priests, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are signed with a special character and are thereby conformed to Christ the Priest in such a way that they are able to act in the person of Christ the Head” (no. 2).

Much space is also given in the Decree to the important munus docendi, the ministry of teaching the faith (a theme that is particularly relevant during this Year of Faith desired by Benedict XVI). Priests – who, unlike bishops, do not have the apostolic authority to determine ecclesial doctrine – have received in sacred Ordination the task of teaching the doctrine of the Church by the ordinary means of homiletics, catechesis, instruction and all the other ways known in pastoral practice. They do this with a special authority, proper to them, that those who have not received the sacrament of Orders do not possess, even though these others may be called to cooperate with the priests in teaching Christian doctrine. PO dedicates nos. 2; 4; 13 in particular to the ministry of the Word of God. The Decree specifies that the preaching of the Gospel of Christ is carried out both by words, being attentive to sound doctrine, and by the witness of one’s life. Finally, for the ways of exercising the munus regendi of priests, one can look in particular at no. 6.

Neither should one overlook the conciliar teaching on the ultimate end of the priesthood. From reading PO, two ends emerge in particular: priests are ordained above all for the glory of God the Father in Christ (no. 2) and to serve Christ, Teacher, Priest and King (no. 1). Secondly, they are chosen to build the Church, in other words to bring it together and lead it to the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit (nos. 1; 6; 8). Therefore, the ultimate end of the priesthood is the glorification of the Trinity and the sanctification of men (no. 2), which is impossible without conversion (nos. 4; 5; 6). The proper ends of the priesthood thus coincide with those of the liturgy in general, which is the adoration of God in worship (first end), which sanctifies him who performs it (second end).

All of this represents nothing other than the re-proposing of the classic and ever valid doctrine on the priesthood. The contribution that seems more particular to PO is the teaching on priestly fraternity. No. 8 reads: “Priests, established in the order of the priesthood by virtue of ordination, are bound to each other in the profound sacramental fraternity; but in a special way they form a single presbyterate in the diocese they serve, under their own bishop”. This priestly communion is not restricted to the diocesan level: priests are united in a sacramental fraternity not only juridically, but also ontologically. The Council therefore recalls that “The spiritual gift which priests have received in their ordination does not prepare them for a limited and restricted mission, but rather for the widest possible and universal mission of salvation..., indeed every priestly ministry participates in the same universality of the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles” (no. 10). From this perspective, one must remember that the legitimate view often proposed on the diocesan nature of the presbyterate must always be supported by and, if necessary corrected by, the superior and primary ‘universality’ or ‘catholicity’ of the ordained priesthood, which is by its nature a gift of God to the whole Church, even though it is lived out at a particular time and in a particular place. It is for this reason that PO teaches repeatedly that priests must cultivate a universal outlook (cf. in particular nos. 6; 10; 14; 17).

As regards the theme of the spiritual life of priests, PO recalls that this must aim toward the perfection of holiness. There are numerous references, but the most important paragraph is no. 12. It states that priests, by virtue of the grace of Baptism, already have the obligation of striving for holiness, like all the other faithful. “Priests are bound, however, to acquire this perfection for a special reason: since, being consecrated by God in a new way with the reception of Orders, they are made living instruments of Christ the Eternal Priest, so that they may be able to carry on across the ages the marvelous work of him, who has made whole the entire family of man by his power from above”. This is an application of the Gospel passage: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much” (Lk. 12:48). On the other hand, the Council recalls also the grace of the priestly state “in virtue of which, as he is at the service of the people entrusted to him and of the entire People of God, he may more effectively draw closer to the perfection of him [Christ], in whose place he stands [partes sustinet]”. Ministers fulfill their own vocation not only by pasturing the flock, that is exercising the munus regendi, but also by nurturing personal holiness, which is not merely a secondary aspect in priestly life and ministry. The exercise of pastoral charity is not enough therefore, for the holiness of the presbyterate; this pastoral charity must combine with being conformed to Christ, which is the essential foundation of everything else. The continuing conversion to Him requires also the mortification in oneself of the works of the flesh. “Although divine grace could indeed also effect the work of salvation through unworthy ministers, yet ordinarily God prefers to show forth his wonders through those who, making themselves more open to the impulse and guidance of the Holy Spirit, by reason of their intimate union with Christ and their holiness of life, can say with the Apostle: ‘It is no longer I who live, rather Christ lives in me’” (no. 12).