Pope Francis warned the clergy against pride and the pursuit of social prestige, urging them to remain humble and serve as ministers of compassion and instruments of God’s mercy.
“To priests, I learned that the people address you with great affection by calling you ‘Amu,’ which is the most important title here, meaning ‘lord,’ said Pope Francis to an assembly of bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and catechists on September 10 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
He cautioned, “However, this should not make the priests and bishops feel superior to the people or lead you into the temptation of being prideful or feeling powerful.”
He added that it “should not make you think of your ministry as bestowing social prestige, acting as leaders who crush others.”
The pontiff emphasized the true essence of their calling, stating, “Let us remember that with perfume we anoint the feet of Christ, which are the feet of our brothers and sisters in the faith, starting with the poorest.”
He highlighted the meaningful gesture of the faithful who take a priest’s consecrated hand and bring it close to their foreheads as a sign of blessing.
“It is beautiful to see in this gesture the affection of God’s holy people, for the priest is an instrument of blessing. Never take advantage of this role,” he urged.
Pope Francis concluded with a powerful reminder: “You should always bless and console; always be a minister of compassion and a sign of God’s mercy.”
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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