Pope Francis urges priests to foster fraternal bonds and ongoing formation

Pope Francis addressed the plenary of the Dicastery for the Clergy in Rome, urging priests to avoid isolation by building strong fraternal networks on June 6.

The Pope said that priests must not walk alone, and their ongoing formation requires “weaving a strong network of fraternal relations.”

The Holy Father emphasized the profound loneliness many priests experience in their ministry, making it difficult for them to navigate “The often-stormy sea of personal and pastoral life.”

“Weaving a strong network of fraternal relations is a priority task in ongoing formation: the bishop, priests among themselves, communities in relation to their pastors, religious brothers and sisters, associations, movements—it is indispensable for priests to feel ‘at home,’” he said.

Emphasizing the loneliness many priests face in their ministries, the Pope highlighted the importance of ongoing formation beyond the seminary.

“We are required to consolidate, strengthen and develop what we have in the seminary, in a process that may help us to mature in the human dimension, to grow spiritually, to find suitable languages for evangelization, and to explore what we need to adequately address the new questions of our time,” he explained.

The pope saluted the dicastery’s efforts to create a global network dedicated to strengthening and offering support to the clergy.

Moreover, the pope took note of the dwindling number of vocations to the priestly ministry and to consecrated life.

“We cannot resign ourselves to the fact that for many young people, the hypothesis of a radical offering of life has disappeared from the horizon. We must instead reflect together and remain attentive to the signs of the Spirit,” said the pontiff.

Pope Francis invited the dicastery to empower the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations according to the needs and realities of the modern age.

Furthermore, the pope called on priests to “deploy all the necessary forces” to address the questions around the permanent diaconate.

He noted that the synthesis report from the first session of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops last October recommended evaluating the implementation of this ordained ministry.