“There are no practical reasons to become a priest. The guiding motive can only be love and the flame of this love is holiness”, writes Bishop Clemens Pikel of the diocese of St. Clement-Saratov in his recent pastoral letter, issued to mark the Day for the Sanctification of the Clergy (15 June). “The sanctification of priests is fundamental for the future of the Church, in Russia. Each person can become a saint, but this is not so simple. And priests are no exception: holiness becomes a challenge, for them too. It is thanks to the holiness of priests that Catholics in Russia maintained their faith during the difficult period of Communism”. According to the bishop, the indifference of the faithful to the sanctification of the clergy is worrying; it also implies indifference to the state of the Church. “The permanent formation of priests is indispensable – insists the bishop of Saratov – and yet there are few opportunities for them to update their formation in Russia. They have to work on themselves, which requires nothing more than personal effort”. While admitting the objective difficulty of being a Catholic priest in Russia today, the bishop entrusts Russian clergy to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, “confiding in his victory over evil”.
