EXCLUSIVE
True witness to the Faith is the answer to declining vocations in Ireland, not married priests, the Vatican’s cardinal for clergy has insisted during a visit to Knock shrine, Co. Mayo.
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy told The Irish Catholic that there are those who call for an end to the ban on priests marrying but do nothing to promote priesthood in their own families.
In the context of marriage being an answer to the crisis in vocations, Cardinal You pointed to the Orthodox Church – where it is permitted and vocations have also been in decline. He said: “If that were the case, take for example the Orthodox Church, they would be flourishing in terms of vocations, but we have to look at the reality. I say to the lay faithful to have more children and to promote vocations in their families and among their children.
“Not wanting to cause any controversy obviously, but there are those who are shouting aloud, their voices are quite loud in the public forum, and they would not be stepping up to encourage their son or their daughter to pursue a religious life.”
Cardinal You was visiting Knock for the Diocesan Vocation Director’s Conference which saw vocation directors descend on the national Marian shrine from across Ireland as part of the ‘Year for Vocations to the Diocesan Priesthood’. This began on Vocations/Good Shepherd Sunday in April 30 last year.
For almost a year there has been a major push for vocations to diocesan priesthood run by the Council for Vocations of the Irish Bishops’ Conference.
Regarding the synodal process and the role of priests and clergy in a Church faced with rapidly changing times, Cardinal You said that “the Church is not reduced to bishops, priests, or religious men or women but also includes the laity, and families and together we make up the Church and together we walk forward… We all have different roles but we are all Christians, which means that we are all called to live the word of God. What does that mean to live the Word of God? It means to love God and to love our neighbour. This is the synodal Church.”
He continued saying: “No Christian is a foreigner in the Church, it is our Church, all of us are children of God. The Church in Ireland has had a wonderful history in many respects, and so putting everything in context and while acknowledging the reality of our past and where we are today, we must look to the future, and walk together.
“And so, the decision on the part of the bishops to dedicate this year of prayer to vocations for diocesan priesthood is a wonderful initiative, for us it is important to pray, but a real prayer life is a life that gives witness. So my message to the bishops, to the priests, to deacons and to seminarians is that we have a responsibility to bear witness to Christ… When the youth see the witness, the beauty, the gift, the greatness that is the priesthood, then in turn they will be attracted to that authentic witness,” Cardinal You said, adding: “I am convinced that if we as Christians lived the Word of God concretely, we would have a flourishing of vocations.”
The Cardinal’s comments come as some senior Vatican figures have called to re-examine clerical celibacy. Earlier this year, a secretary for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith called for celibacy to be made optional.
“If it were up to me, I would revise the requirement that priest(s) have to be celibate,” said Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta told Times of Malta.
The question of mandatory celibacy will not be addressed at this October’s synodal discussions, Cardinal Mario Grech said last week as the Vatican announced working groups to address topics including women deacons and LGBTQ+ issues.
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