Cardinal tells parish priests to listen to ordinary Catholics

In an emotional homily on Monday, a top Catholic Church official urged priests to pay attention to what ordinary faithful have to say and reach out to those who have often been overlooked in parishes.

At the opening Mass for a meeting of parish priests from across the country in Manila, Cardinal Jose Advincula called for a departure from “our tombs of exclusivity and comfort” to foster genuine communion within the Church.

The cardinal emphasized that true communion cannot be achieved if clergy cling to “outdated conventions and unhealthy conveniences.”

“If we keep saying we have been doing it this way, we might be unconsciously pushing away the people who need our communion the most, people who often feel that they cannot fit in the Church, sinners, the poor, the marginalized,” Advincula said.

The cardinal, who is the archbishop of Manila, cautioned against acts that “discount or even suppress” the contributions of parishioners, urging priests to avoid making people “sheepishly dependent” on clergy.

Instead, he called for allowing ordinary Catholics, especially the marginalized, to express their sentiments and insights, which he believes is essential for true synodality in parish communities.

“Let us recognize and encourage their boldness as witnesses to our faith,” Advincula said. “Let us include such voices and contributions in the life of our parish communities.”

His voice faltered as he urged priests not to succumb to “factions” claiming the Church is dead or dying, asserting that recent synodal consultations have shown that the Church is indeed alive.

He noted that the Church’s vitality is evident in the laypeople, servant leaders, and consecrated individuals who are devoted to God and close to the people.

“The church may appear to be sleeping or having some difficulty waking up but definitely she is not dead. The church is very much alive,” the cardinal said.

“She is especially alive in our beloved poor who touch us and challenge us with their simple yet genuine faith. She is alive not because we are able to keep it alive, but because God is merciful and faithful to us,” he added.

The “National Meeting of Parish Priests for the Synod” brought together over 250 priests from various dioceses to discern ways to rejuvenate their priesthood and parish life.

The participants were selected by their bishops to represent a range of experiences and environments.

Organized by the bishops’ conference and the Office for the Promotion of New Evangelization (OPNE), the four-day gathering follows the Vatican-organized international meeting of parish priests held in Sacrofano, Italy from April 29 to May 1.

Fr. Jayson Laguerta, OPNE director and one of the 10 Filipino delegates to the international event, said the Manila gathering is a response to Pope Francis’ call to continue the synodal conversation.

Pope Francis has underscored the vital role of parish priests in the synodal process, asserting that without their commitment, a truly synodal Church cannot be realized.

Laguerta expressed hopes that the gathering would inspire priests to embrace a more communal and participatory leadership style and strengthen the unity among the clergy, setting an example for laypeople to follow.

“We hope to inspire them to be more communal and participatory in their leadership. And so we would like to introduce and promote the conversation in the spirit as a synodal methodology,” Laguerta said.

“We also hope that this gathering could strengthen the brotherhood of priests because we need to show first that we are synodal so that the lay people that we serve will also be given the cue to be synodal,” he also said. (Roy Lagarde/CBCP News)

A version of this article was first published by CBCP News.