3. The Pastoral Ministry of Priests: service of leading in love and strength

"Priests exercise the function of Christ as Pastor and Head in proportion to their share of authority. In the name of the bishop they gather the family of God as a brotherhood endowed with the spirit of unity and lead it through Christ in the Spirit to God the Father".(⁹⁴) The indispensable exercise of the munus regendi by the priest, far from being a mere sociological concept or organizational capacity, derives also from the sacramental priesthood: "in virtue of the Sacrament of Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest (Heb 5, 1-10; 7, 24; 9, 11-28) they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament".(⁹⁵)

Since priests participate in the authority of Christ they differ notably from the faithful. These realize, however, that "the presence of Christ in their ministry is not to be understood as if... (they) were preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of domination, error and even sin".(⁹⁶) The word and guidance of ministers are subject to greater or lesser effectiveness depending on their natural or acquired qualities of intelligence, will, character and maturity. This awareness together with a realization of the sacramental origins of the pastoral ministry, inspires them to imitate Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and makes pastoral charity indispensable for a fruitful exercise of the ministry.

"The essential object of their action as pastors and of the authority conferred on them" is "to bring the communities entrusted to them to full spiritual and ecclesial development".(⁹⁷) However, "the community dimension of pastoral care...the needs of each of the faithful...Jesus himself, the Good Shepherd, calls "his sheep one by one" with a voice well known to them (John 10, 3-4). By his example he has set the first canon of individual pastoral care: knowledge of the people and friendly relations with them.(⁹⁸) In the Church, a community vision of the pastoral ministry must be in harmony with this personal pastoral care. Indeed, in building up the Church the pastor always moves from a personal to a community dimension. In relating to individuals and communities, the priest cares for all "eximia humanitate".(⁹⁹) He can never be the servant of an ideology or of a faction. (¹⁰⁰) He is obliged to treat men "not according to what may please men, but according to the demands of Christian doctrine and life". (¹⁰¹)

Today more than ever, the style of pastoral action needs to be such as can address the demands arising in traditionally Christian communities which have become largely secularized. In this context, consideration of the munus regendi, in its original missionary sense, acquires greater significance. The munus regendi, however, should never be confused with a merely bureaucratic or organizational task. It requires a loving exercise of strength on the part of priests — the model for which is the pastoral activity of Jesus Christ. He, as is clear from the Gospels, never refused to assume that responsibility deriving from his messianic authority and exercised it with charity and strength. This authority is not an oppressive domination but a spirit of and a willingness to serve. This dual aspect — authority and service — is the reference point for the munus regendi of the priest who must always commit himself to a coherent exercise of his participation in the condition of Christ, Head and Shepherd of the flock.(¹⁰²)

The priest, with and under the Bishop, is also a pastor of the community entrusted to him. Moved by pastoral charity he should not fear to exercise proper authority in those areas where he is obliged to exercise it for he has been constituted in authority for this very purpose. It must be recalled that when authority is duly exercised it is done "non tam praeesse quam prodesse" (not so much to command but to serve). (¹⁰³) Those in authority must overcome the temptation to exempt themselves from this responsibility. If they do not exercise authority, they no longer serve. In close communion with his Bishop and with his faithful, the priest should avoid introducing into his pastoral ministry all forms of authoritarianism and forms of democratic administration which are alien to the profound reality of the ministry, for these lead to a secularization of the priest and a clericalization of the laity. (¹⁰⁴) Behind such approaches to the ministry there is often a hidden fear of assuming responsibility or making mistakes, of not being liked or of being unpopular or indeed a reluctance to accept the cross. Ultimately these spring from an obscuring of the real source of priestly identity which is assimilation to Christ, the Shepherd and Head of the flock.

New evangelization requires that the priest make his authentic presence evident in the community. They should realize that the ministers of Jesus Christ are present and available to all men. (¹⁰⁵) Thus their amicable insertion into the community is always important. In this context it is easy to understand the significance and pastoral role of the discipline concerning clerical garb, to which the priest should always conform since it is a public proclamation of his limitless dedication to the brethren and to the faithful in his service to Jesus Christ. The more society is marked by secularization, the greater the need for signs.

The priest should avoid falling into the contradictory position of abdicating exercise of his specific authority so as to involve himself in temporal, social or even political matters, (¹⁰⁶) which God has left to the free disposition of man.

The priest enjoys a certain prestige amongst the faithful and, in some places, with the civil authorities. He should, however, be aware that such prestige should be lived in humility and used correctly for the promotion of the "salus animarum" while remembering that Christ is the real head of the people of God. It is to Him that the faithful must be directed and not to any attachment to an individual priest. The faithful belong to Christ alone, for only He has redeemed them by His precious blood, to the glory of God the Father. He is thus Lord of all supernatural goods and Teacher who teaches with authority. In Christ and the Holy Spirit, the priest is but an administrator of the gifts entrusted to him by the Church. He has no right to omit or deviate them or remodel them to his own liking.(¹⁰⁷) He has received, for example, no authority to teach the Christian faithful that only some of the truths of the Christian faith have been given to him so as to obscure or ignore others which he personally considers more difficult to accept or "less relevant". (¹⁰⁸)

Concerning new evangelization and the pastoral leadership given by priests, all need to undertake a sincere and careful discernment. The attitude of "not wishing to impose", etc., may well mask a misconception of the very theological substance of the pastoral ministry or a lack of character which seeks to escape responsibility. Neither undue attachment to persons or particular ministerial positions nor misguided desires for popularity nor lack of proper intention can be underestimated when making this discernment. Pastoral charity, void of humility, is empty. Pride or need to crave attention can mask seemingly motivated rebellion, reticence in the face of pastoral changes desired by the Bishop, eccentric preaching and celebration of the liturgy, refusal to wear ecclesial garb or alteration of ecclesiastical garb for personal convenience.

New evangelization demands a renewal of commitment to the pastoral ministry, especially on the part of priests. "As the Council points out ‘the spiritual gift which priests have received in ordination does not prepare them merely for a limited and circumscribed mission, but for the fullest, in fact the universal mission of salvation to the end of the earth. The reason is that every priestly ministry shares in the fullness of the mission entrusted by Christ to the Apostles". (¹⁰⁹) Numerical shortages of clergy, experienced in some countries, coupled with the mobility of the contemporary world makes it particularly necessary to be able to call on priests who are willing to change not only pastoral assignments but also cities, regions, countries in response to various needs and to undertake whatever mission may be necessary while renouncing personal plans and desires for the sake of the love of God. "By the very nature of their ministry they should therefore be penetrated and animated by a profound missionary spirit and ‘with that truly Catholic spirit which habitually looks beyond the boundaries of diocese, country or rite, to meet the needs of the whole Church, being prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere'". (¹¹⁰) A correct sense of the particular Church, especially in permanent formation, should never obscure a sense of the universal Church and should always be in harmony with it.