Cardinal Robert Sarah celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Sept. 28, 2019. / Evandro Inetti/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Nov 18, 2021 / 08:00 am (CNA).
In a new book, Cardinal Robert Sarah calls priests to spiritual renewal, saying that it will not come through structural changes, but through rediscovering the priest’s mission and identity as the presence of Christ in the world.
“Christ never created structures. Of course, I’m not saying they aren’t necessary. Organization is useful in society, but it is not first,” Sarah said in a Nov. 16 interview with the Catholic French weekly Famille Chrétienne.
“What is first is the very first word of Christ in the Gospel of Mark: ‘Convert and believe in the Gospel.’”
The Vatican’s former liturgy chief published “Pour l’éternité: Méditations sur la figure du prêtre” (“For Eternity: Meditations on the Figure of the Priest”) in Europe on Nov. 17.
The book, currently available only in French, includes passages from saints and the Church Fathers to encourage meditation on the renewal of the priesthood, which, according to the cardinal, is a necessary step on the way to resolving the crisis in the Catholic Church.
“If priests, if society look to God, then I think things will change,” he told Famille Chrétienne. “If hearts are not changed by the Gospel, politics will not change, the economy will not change, human relationships will not change. It is Christ who is our peace, who will create more fraternal human relations, of collaboration, of cooperation.”
Structures “are also often a danger, because we take refuge behind them,“ he said. “God will not ask accounts of an episcopal conference, of a synod … It is us, bishops, that he will hold accountable: how did you manage your diocese, how did you love your priests, how did you accompany them spiritually?”
Sarah ended a more than six-year term as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in February.
The 76-year-old from Guinea wrote a book on the priesthood, celibacy, and the crisis of the Catholic Church, “From the Depths of Our Hearts,” in 2020. The book attracted controversy centered on whether it was co-authored by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.
Sarah said that in his new book he wanted to express his affection and encouragement both to priests who are struggling and those who feel strong in their vocation.
“It is about encouraging them not to lose God, to have the courage to follow Christ as they accepted from the beginning, on the day of their ordination,”he explained. “Because the crisis that we are going through today in the Church depends essentially on the priestly crisis.”
The cardinal also commented on the scandal of abuse in the priesthood, saying that the Church “must not be afraid of the truth.”
“We must feel deeply hurt, suffer from it as Christ suffered when Judas betrayed him, when Peter denied him,” he said, adding that the Church and her priests are supposed to be models, and even one case of abuse is too many.
“The discovery of so many sins committed gives us a better understanding of the apparent sterility of our local churches. How could we bear fruit when such cancer was gnawing at us from within? We must rediscover the meaning of penance and contrition,” he said, urging adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament “in reparation for the profanations committed against his image in the souls of children.”
Sarah added that Catholics should not let themselves be overcome by discouragement, however, because the overwhelming majority of priests are faithful, which is a cause for thanksgiving.
“Their daily and hidden fidelity makes no noise, but it silently carries deep seeds of renewal,” he said.
“It is up to us to see how the guilty priests can be punished and, if possible, cared for, healed, accompanied, so that such acts do not happen again,” the cardinal continued. “Above all, it is up to us not to let these horrors turn souls away from Christ and lock up so many innocent victims in suffering.”
Sarah’s book is dedicated to seminarians, and he said he wanted to encourage them too, because they are studying to become priests at a difficult time.
He said that he wanted to tell them that if Christ has called them to the Catholic priesthood, he will also give them the means to really follow him.
“Try to take this call seriously. The Lord who calls you is not going to leave you alone. He will support you with his grace, but you yourself must be a fully realized man, a true, honest, upright man who has all the human qualities,” he said.
Families play an important role in supporting priests, he noted, encouraging people to invite priests into their homes to pray and converse.
A strong prayer life is vital for every priest, he said, citing the example of the saints such as St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars.
When his interviewer pointed out that “the France of the Curé of Ars is not the France of the 21st century,” Sarah responded: “Indeed, but man is the same. Man does not change. He has the same ambitions, he has the same flaws, the same vices from Adam until today.”
“It is only the circumstances that we have created that can confuse us, but man does not change,” he insisted, adding that “the Frenchman of the Curé d’Ars is the Frenchman of today, with the difference that the Frenchman of today has a cell phone … But in his ambitions, in his vices, and his faults, he is the same. We still need holy priests identified with Christ.”
The cardinal also commented on the way that France and other Western countries have closed themselves off to God.
“If France, if the West, thanks to the ministry of priests, rediscover that God has come among us, that he loves us, that he wants our salvation, that he wants us to discover the truth and that this truth will help us will set free, then the mission will be possible,” he said.
“But there is no need to despair,” he continued. “That is why priests must rediscover their mission, priests must rediscover their identity. They are the presence of Christ in the midst of this world. If they conduct themselves well, if they are the presence of Christ, then France and the West can rediscover him little by little.”
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Nothing like a mother’s love is seen in Brittany Garisto’s eyes speaking of her loss. A mother’s love is seen throughout nature.
It’s mating time for birds here in upstate New York, my ‘cabin in the woods’ a favorite nesting place to my delight because I love birds. Lady birds protect their nests, the male the valiant guardian flying about, even watchful of me [one can never be too careful]. Last year a remarkable sight. Grey squirrels are notorious egg snatchers. A large grey ran down a tree egg in mouth chased by a robin both involved in a wild melee on the ground, the squirrel apparently surrendering to her ferocity.
How often have mothers made a similar last stand against a crazed lover, even wacko husband, perhaps an intruder. A scene of violent intrusion [shown by the media] was captured on home surveillance video when the intruder, a massive man burst through the door and pounded a reclining woman then bolted up the stairs. She managed to revive and met him as he descended and received an even more terrible beating by the monster, then the video was stopped. Perhaps I’m mistaken, that there likely was a child or two upstairs.
Our anomaly today is the disparity of a mother’s love and a mother’s disinterest in the life of their child. Abortion is more monstrous than the vicious intruder. That a mother would permit her child to be slaughtered by scalpels, suction, burned alive with saline solution in her infant’s nesting place where God ordained nature to be its safest place.
“Our anomaly today is the disparity of a mother’s love and a mother’s disinterest in the life of their child. Abortion is more monstrous than the vicious intruder. That a mother would permit her child to be slaughtered by scalpels, suction, burned alive with saline solution in her infant’s nesting place where God ordained nature to be its safest place.”
The things psychopaths will say. 🙃
Your words here will be repeated to you at your judgment.
Hi Father,
I do not understand the callous attack in your comment. The son I spoke of, Joseph, passed away naturally at 10 months old from the rare genetic disorder he was born with. We cherished every day with him and did everything we could to help him. Joseph’s disorder was so rare that we did not know it was fatal until a week before he passed. Words cannot describe the trauma and heartbreak we have gone through. Joseph was a perfect reflection of God’s unconditional love and he taught us how to find joy through suffering. At the time of that rally I was 8 months pregnant with our third child and had no idea if he would have the same genetic disorder (a 25% chance for any of our children) because I would not risk his health or life with invasive testing. My husband and I have always and will always say yes to life and God’s plan for our family, no matter the personal heartbreak and suffering that comes. My message at that rally and always is to testify to God’s love and that all life is valuable, even the terminally ill, and that being a mother to any child that God sends is an honour. Shame on you for your unkindness. I will keep you in my prayers.
Sometimes comments can be hastily stated, or misread, or both.
Fr. Morello is honoring you. Yours truly reads his meaning as surely that “Nothing like a mother’s love is seen [more clearly than] in Brittany Garisto’s eyes speaking of her loss. A mother’s love is seen throughout nature.”
A mother’s nature is seen in nature. Instinctive animal behavior is natural to animals and is very different from ‘love.’ ‘Love’ is God’s gift to rational humans. Human love is open to elevation by supernatural aspects; the animal nature is simply not capable of ‘love.’ Humans are free to reject ‘natural motherly’ instinctive behavior. Animals are not free to reject or deny their nature. Instinct is not love.
A mother’s nature is seen in nature. Instinctive animal behavior is natural to animals and is very different from ‘love.’ ‘Love’ is God’s gift to rational humans. Human love is open to elevation by supernatural aspects; the animal nature is simply not capable of ‘love.’ Humans are free to reject ‘natural motherly’ instinctive behavior. Animals are not free to reject or deny their nature.
Hi Brittany,
It is easy to read and understand words as they are written. Often these days our words are unkind and uncharitable. I too have taken umbrage at some of Father Morello’s words. I stopped reading most of his posts, even those sent directly to me. I empathize with you.
I too have a child with a serious genetic defect. Although my child is alive, the defect will lead us to succumb sooner or later. God bless you. Please know that you are loved and many others grieve with you.
God bless you & your child meiron. I’m so sorry to hear about that.
One of my children inherited a couple disorders, one of which is usually life limiting. Thankfully in their case, one disorder mostly cancels out the effects of the other one but it could easily have played out differently.
We just never know what others are going through & need to take more time to be charitable & count our blessings.