Which priest for the Italian Church? Dal Molin: “A man amid the people.” The importance of the Word and the value of testimony

What is the exemplary priest for the Italian Church? Monsignor Domenico Dal Molin, the CEI National Director for the Pastoral Care of vocations, said in clear terms: “A priest is a man close to the people, a man of the Word, of grace and mercy.” A few days ahead of the 53rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations (April 17), Msgr. Dal Molin drew a balance of the state of health of Italian clergy in view of the next CEI General Assembly devoted to clergy renewal, starting with lifelong formation.

Who is the ideal priest for the Italian Church?

Prompted by John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, the Italian Church has focused on ongoing formation and on the priest as a man of pastoral charity. However, post-Council enthusiasm has weakened over time, also owing to the emergence of a number of ancillary tasks ranging from the administration of the parish to bureaucratic duties.

We intend to give renewed thrust to the exemplary model of a priest that is a man of God and close to the people.

“Experts in humanity”, as Paul VI said, also in the Word.

Will there be a change in the bishops’ relationship with diocesan clergy?

The bishops are the shepherds of the community and the guides of their priests. It’s important that they live an Episcopal paternity, giving priority to the encounter with priests, while it is necessary that priests experience a greater feeling of belonging. I wish to recall the words of Pope Francis to Brazilian Bishops: “Dear brothers, unless we train ministers capable of warming people’s hearts, of walking with them in the night, of dialoguing with their hopes and disappointments, of mending their brokenness, what hope can we have for our present and future journey?” The Church is not “drifting”, he added on that occasion, as it is provided with a sure “compass”. Indeed, the priest must be sensitive to individual expectations and delusions, but during the night he cannot lose the way, as he is guided by the compass of the faith.

Renewed focus on ongoing formation.

The quality of life of the priests is going through a period of suffering. Although the numbers are not catastrophic, and in Italy there are still approximately 33 thousand priests including non-natives, there is a feeling of fatigue linked to many activities that divert attention.

Italian priests have always been characterised by being men among the people, present in the important moments of people’s lives. It is a unique feature in the European landscape.

There also emerges the effort to maintain a high degree of cultural formation and spiritual life. If these dimensions are missing, priests’ lives are exposed to difficulties. For these reasons it’s important to restore a primary role to ongoing formation.

Does the tendency to self-isolation constitute a danger for priests?

A long process that went from the plural form of priestly life to an almost individualistic form, which is widespread among the younger generations today, followed the Council. Although seminary life forms for community life, priestly ordination is sometimes experienced as a liberation allowing the recovery of individual space along with a certain degree of self-referentiality, which is not good.

Does this require a major commitment?

It does, as we are speaking of the way of living of the priest. It is no longer a question of ongoing formation understood as a refresher course or a one-week spritual retreat. Indeed, these are necessary, but it’s not the core of the matter. We need to jointly reconsider our way of being priests.

What does the Italian Church do to encourage new vocations?

The Italian Church does a lot of work behind the scenes, because the pastoral care of vocations does not consist in major events.

The challenge is to focus on formation and on the motivation of spiritual animators. It may appear as working at a loss: we sow today so that the fruits may be reaped by others tomorrow.

That’s why it’s crucial to put into practice a sense of gratuitousness and the respect of others despite situations tied to past attitudes and to the criteria of great numbers. Moreover, in Evangelii Gaudium Francis leaves no room for doubts: “Seminaries cannot accept candidates on the basis of any motivation whatsoever, especially if those motivations have to do with affective insecurity or the pursuit of power, human glory or economic well-being.”

Is there a risk of poorly accurate discernment in accepting candidates to the priesthood?

Discernment is a serious thing. It is meant to ascertain individual eligibility regardless of great numbers. For this reason we consider formation for spiritual accompaniment important in order to help people make informed choices. It is a decisive step in an era of non-choosing, in a culture that warns against commitments. We intend to be present at local level, in close contact with diocesan vocation centers, priests, lay people and families, to show that vocational proclamation does not occur by proxy. It is addressed to each one of us. We are all responsible for vocations inside the Church.

How can the drop in vocations be reversed or stopped?

Today, authentic vocational proclamation is expressed through living testimony of faith.

In the past we could count on a great strength stemming from the feeling of belonging to a community. Now it’s time to return to proclaim the faith. In those places with a significant presence of priests, religious, consecrated or couples, there is an appealing form of enthusiasm. As the Pope says, Christian mission is not “to proselytize.” And we should not forget the laity and the religious…

In what way?

There is an awakening of vocational awareness among the laity, and this aspect deserves further reflection. I have noticed the sensitivity of couples and families regarding the fact that the priest cannot operate alone.

I dream of a Church where, despite decreasing numbers of priests, consecrated life is enhanced through feelings of shared responsibility. It would be a precious resource at a time of weakness, for the good of pastoral service. We have not yet reached the point of having such insightful and fruitful Christian communities. However, we are proceeding in the right direction.

Are also the last fences that used to separate the diocesan clergy and consecrated persons being overcome?

Until five or ten years ago the pastoral care of vocations was under the guidance of religious institutes. Now there is a widespread need for synergy. There is a great yearning for sharing and participation, without wasting energy. We must come out of our enclosures, with a view to increased cooperation. Some prejudices have been overcome. The religious can further share the identity of prophecy and charisma inside Christian communities and among the priests. We must spread knowledge on consecrated life to seminarians, who are not very present in this area, and ask the religious to participate within our realms.