"All for you", the testimony of a young seminarianMonsignor Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira is Secretary of the Dicastery for the Clergy. Born in Santiago de Chile on June 10, 1969, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1969. the priest of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of the city on July 3, 1999. He received his doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 2006. He has held various pastoral positions in the diocese, including Director of Studies and Prefect of Theology at the Pontifical Major Seminary of the Holy Guardian Angels. On October 1, 2021, he was appointed Secretary of the Dicastery for the Clergy (of which he had been an Officer since 2018), with the assignment of the titular Archiepiscopal See of Tiburnia.
In this interview with Omnes, the secretary of the Dicastery for the Clergy speaks about the identity and role of the priest, the essential features of priestly life and the essence of the priesthood which, similar to that of the Church, being "a mystery of God, is deeply rooted in reality."
Monsignor Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, the Catholic Church has a rich theological and practical tradition on the life and ministry of priests, a tradition that was synthesized and revised during the Second Vatican Council, what are the essential elements?
-I consider that one of the central points about the priesthood is expressed in the Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen Gentium when it says "In order to feed the People of God and to increase it always, Christ the Lord instituted in his Church various ministries ordered to the good of the whole Body. For the ministers who possess the sacred power are at the service of their brethren, so that all who belong to the People of God and therefore enjoy true Christian dignity, freely and orderly tending to the same end, may attain salvation." (LG, 18).
In this sense, we can say that both the Vatican Council IIthe post-conciliar pontifical magisterium, as well as the relatively recent Ratio fundamentalis istitutionis sacerdotalis (2016) highlight that the presbyteral ministry is interpreted, both in its specific nature and in its biblical and theological foundations, as a service to the glory of God and to the brothers who are to be accompanied and guided in their baptismal priesthood.
The expression "in service" cannot be overemphasized. Indeed, the ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood of the faithful and is completed with it in the harmony of a single priestly people. Therefore, the Catholic priest is first of all not a leader or an authority, but a brother among brothers in the common priesthood, called, like all the baptized faithful, to give his life as a spiritual offering pleasing to the Father.
Regarding the process of configuration with Christ, Head, Shepherd, Servant and Spouse of the Church, how does it take place?
-This mystical process is a gift of God that has its roots in the first call within the Christian community and requires a serious initial formation in the seminary in order to reach its fullness in priestly ordination. This process, at the same time, constitutes a path that must remain firm throughout ongoing formation. Every mystical gift requires, in fact, the counterpart of ascetical practice, which is the human effort to welcome and indulge the gifts of Grace.
This vital and permanent process of being configured to Christ himself, Shepherd, Head, Servant and Spouse of the Church is the specific service that the priest offers to his brothers in the faith, this is the essential contribution that the priest offers to the rest of the People of God, so that together as disciples of Christ, they can persevere in prayer and praise God (cfr. Ac 2, 42-47), to offer themselves as living, holy and pleasing victims (cfr. Rm 12:1), to bear witness to Christ everywhere and, to those who ask them, to give an account of the hope that is in them of eternal life (cf. 1 Pe 3, 15).
What is the relevance of the fact that the priest always remains also a believer, a brother among brothers and sisters in faith, who is called with them, albeit in a specific way, to realize the common vocation to holiness and to share in the common mission of salvation?
-In this regard, Pope Francis stressed at the symposium "For a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood" that: The life of a priest is above all the history of the salvation of a baptized person. Sometimes we forget Baptism, and the priest becomes a function: functionalism, and this is dangerous. We must never forget that every specific vocation, including that of Orders, is a realization of Baptism. It is always a great temptation to live a priesthood without Baptism - and there are priests "without Baptism" - that is, without remembering that our first call is to holiness. To be saints means to conform ourselves to Jesus and to let our life pulsate with his same sentiments (cf. Flp 2, 15). Only when we try to love as Jesus loved, we also make God visible and thus fulfill our vocation to holiness. (February 17, 2022).
St. Augustine expresses it with unsurpassable words when referring to the ministry of the bishop, who has the fullness of the priestly order: If it terrifies me to be for you, it comforts me to be with you. Because I am a bishop for you, I am a Christian with you. That is the name of the office, this grace; that is the name of the danger, this of salvation.
Can we go deeper into some essential features of priestly life for a correct interpretation of the role of the priest in the Church? His nature as a disciple-missionary; his status in the world; the threefold ministry, etc.
-First, as has already been said, every priest belongs to the people of God and has received the priestly ministry in order to be a 'servant' of the flock: this concept is not affirmed in a negative sense, but in a positive one, since it entails 'the spiritual taste of being a people', as Pope Francis emphasizes in the homonymous paragraph of the Apostolic Exhortation. Evangelii Gaudium (2013), since it is a value valid for all the faithful and disciples who proclaim the Gospel, and especially for priests: To be evangelizers of soul it is also necessary to develop a spiritual taste for being close to the life of the people, to the point of discovering that this is the source of a higher joy. Mission is a passion for Jesus, but, at the same time, a passion for his people (n. 268).
Indeed, in order to be an authentic servant - a minister - sacramentally configured to Christ the Good Shepherd, the priest must feel part of the people to whom he intends to give his life, experience the joy of walking with them, love each member of the flock that the Lord Jesus has entrusted to him and use all the means necessary to respond to his vocation.
Secondly, that of the priest is also a communitarian ministry: in the title of the conciliar decree on the ministry and life of priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis -the order of presbyters-, the word Presbyterorum is in the plural, signifying a mystery marked by collegiality, that is, by a mission entrusted to a stable community, in which relationships are fraternal and always inspired by Trinitarian communion.
In fact, "The word Order, in Roman antiquity, designated constituted groups in a civil sense, especially with reference to those who govern. "Ordinatio" -ordering- indicates the incorporation into a "ordo"-order-" (CEC, 1537). The exhortation Pastores dabo vobis He particularly deepened this point, affirming the radically communitarian form of the ordained ministry: The ordained ministry, by virtue of its very nature, can only be realized to the extent that the presbyter is united to Christ by sacramental incorporation into the presbyteral order, and therefore to the extent that he is in hierarchical communion with his bishop.
Third, Presbyterorum Ordinis stresses the sacramental character of the priestly ministry, but it is interesting that he interprets this objective fact as a path of configuration to Christ the priest. Configuration is understood ontologically but also spiritually, in a sacramental but also human sense, deeply personal but destined for the good of the people of God, conferred through the sacrament of Holy Orders but in continuous development towards priestly holiness. This explains why priestly formation contains a continuous dynamism, that of the disciple called to be a shepherd (cf. RFIS, 80).
The fourth essential aspect is the status of the priest in the world. In this regard, the decree Presbyterorum Ordinis reaches its climax when he speaks of the spiritual life of the priest, which in my opinion can be summed up in the words: "Anointed by the Holy Spirit for the world and not outside the world". The essence of the priest is like that of the Church, which, although it is a mystery of God, is deeply rooted in reality. In reference to priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis states: They could not be ministers of Christ if they were not witnesses and dispensers of a life different from the earthly one; but, on the other hand, neither could they serve men if they were far removed from their life and environment. (n. 3).
The idea of being anointed for the world and not outside the world demands from the priest certain fundamental attitudes that favor dialogue with reality through a language that ensures the effectiveness of the proclamation. Therefore, he cannot avoid facing the challenge, for example, of making accessible to people the philosophical and theological concepts acquired during his formation; or of using social networks for evangelization. Is this the case?
-Ongoing formation, not only theoretical, but also practical and pedagogical, is indispensable. Another important challenge is for priests to live their being in the world with serenity, in simplicity, evangelical poverty and chastity consistent with the gift of celibacy that they have received from the Lord, fleeing from a comfortable, consumerist and hedonistic lifestyle such as the one that dominates the world today. In this sense, their life should be their main language and means of communication to transmit Christ.
As is well known, the conciliar decree Presbyterorum Ordinis uses the tripartite scheme of the priestly ministry to explain the evangelical mission of the priest: minister of the Word (OP, 4), minister of the Sacraments - the summit of which is the Eucharist (OP, 5) - and minister of the People of God (OP, 6). This structure clearly illustrates the breadth of priestly ministry. The priest is not merely a dispenser of worship, but also has the pastoral responsibility of guiding the community entrusted to his care. The priest is responsible for leading his flock to green and safe pastures. He must lead them to what is good, true and just, all signs of the Kingdom of God, even to those sheep who are not of his fold. He must not forget that human promotion and Christian culture are an integral part of evangelization.
Pope Francis indicates the four proximities that every priest must live and cultivate in order to grow ever more mature in his priestly life and ministry: closeness to God, to his own bishop, to his brother priests and to God's holy people. Can you help us better understand the importance of each of these relationships that help define the priestly paradigm?
-Regarding the first closeness, its necessity for every Christian and particularly for the vocation of a priest is evident, the Lord expressed it forcefully through the image of the vine and the branch. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (Jn 15:5). I think that we all have the experience of knowing a priest who, through his expressions, his determination, his witness of prayer, his tenderness, his apostolic zeal and so many other gestures, manages to reflect that he has God, or better, that he allows himself to be had by God. Priests in this way are witnesses to the joy of the Gospel.
In relation to the other three proximities, I think that the explanation of the terminology can help us to have a better understanding. Hierarchical communion demands that we show respect and obedience - which is not servile submission - to the Ordinary and his successors, as promised on the day of ordination. Obedience is not a disciplinary attribute, but the strongest characteristic of the bonds that unite us in communion. Obedience, in this case to the bishop, means learning to listen and remembering that no one can claim to be the possessor of God's will, and that this can only be understood through discernment.
Moreover, the relationship between priests, especially between members of the same presbyterate, is called to be fraternal. The reason for this fraternal relationship is based on their common ordination and common mission, for which, united and under the guidance of their bishop, all are co-responsible. This fraternal relationship constitutes the fundamental condition for the ongoing formation of priests in the four dimensions of formation (cf. RFIS, 87-88). Appreciation of the priestly gift is manifested in two ways: on the one hand, by cultivating the human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual dimension of one's vocation; on the other hand, by caring for the good of one's brother priests with a sense of co-responsibility. Co-responsibility in the mission entrusted to the priest also takes the form of mutual support and docility in receiving and offering fraternal correction.
As for the fourth closeness, as we have already mentioned repeatedly, by virtue of his apostolic mission, the priest is also called to establish a fraternal relationship with the lay faithful. He must embrace the community to which he is sent and collaborate with it: participating and sharing the mission with deacons and instituted lay ministers (acolytes, lectors, catechists, etc.), as well as with consecrated persons and lay people who, by virtue of their charisms, make valuable contributions to the building up of the ecclesial community, to human promotion and to Christian culture. Moreover, apostolic fraternity has two aspects: on the one hand, the shepherd cares for his flock and, on the other, the flock cares for its shepherd.
