On Saturday, February 17, a Symposium on the Taufberufung began in the Vatikan under the title "For a Fundamentaltheology of the Priesthood". The opening address was given by Pope Franziskus, who spoke about the faith and the priesthood in our time. In the course of the conference, which lasts until Saturday, there will also be discussions on Sacramentality, Mission, the Bible, Charism and Spirituality.
The initiative is based on Kardinal Marc Ouellet, head of the Bischofskongregation, who has established the Center for Research and Anthropology of Businesses with headquarters in Frankreich by 2020 from the Heiligen Stuhl.
In this interview with everyone, Kardinal Ouellet speaks about various aspects of the Priestertums and the Taufberufung as well as about other topics that will be discussed at the Symposium in these days.
At the Symposium, you will learn about the Priesthood from a Trinitarian perspective. In contrast to this, we see a rather "human" or even "functionalistic" understanding of the Priests. Is this the cause of one of the proposals, as, for example, in the German Synodal Weg?
- The priesthood is based on people's relationship with God. In Christendom, Christus is the only one who is a part of this relationship, who is a gift of God. In the sacrament of Christus, the Priest is the one and only one who can understand Christ in this sense. We cannot be immersed in a social-ecological consciousness, which is the expression of power, and we cannot restrict ourselves to the perspective of the media.
One of the most frequently occurring problems is the female coordination. The opening of the Laienämter für Frauen wurde auch als ein Schritt in Richtung Diakonat oder vielleicht auch in Richtung Priesteramt gesehen. Ist das Diakonat und/oder das Priesteramt für Frauen eine offene Möglichkeit?
- This question shows a functional mentality of the human being as a whole, which enables women to play an important role and thus to recognize their own charismatic dimension. Changes in the Church must be much more like a work experience that puts women in an interdisciplinary position. It is at the time that theology is about the infinite reality in itself and in the interaction with mankind.
The "Fundamentaltheologie des Priestertums", on which the Symposium is based, is part of a theology of the Church. But what is the Church today?
- A fundamental theology of the priesthood is based on the faith as the first part of the first part of the Priesthood of Christ, because the faith transmits to us its own Gnade, which is once again the foundation of its priesthood and our part of the faith as the Glory of its own life. The Holy Spirit sets the stage for the death of Jesus Christ, which will be represented in the service of the Holy Priests of the Holy Spirit in the days of the Holy Mass of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Church should not be reduced to its hierarchy, since it is above all the community of the Holy Apostles for the Mother of God.
The life of the Church is in the Eucharist. The priesthood is born out of the Eucharist and lives for the Eucharist, but how can the eucharistic identity of all those who receive the Eucharist be expressed in the Eucharist?ördert werden?
- The Church makes the Eucharist and the Eucharist makes the Church", says Pater de Lubac. The Church fills the rite, but it is Christus in the Eucharist, the life of the Church, which, through the faith, is the source of life. The Eucharistic celebration is a symbolic event, in which the risen Christus, who is the Lord of the Church, his own heart, is the source and the personal response to the love of all the people and all the members of the community. We must evangelize the significance of the Sonntags.
In what sense do we speak of a "culture of jobs"?
- The youth movement is based on a culture of recreation in the sense of an answer to God in all the services we offer to our society. Every human being receives from the Holy Spirit a special gift, which is connected to the Church and society in the choice of his or her life and thus to a particular service. A community of faith needs to be able to make use of the special benefits to be gained and to benefit from those who normally live there, where there is a benefit under the responsibility.
Zölibat und Missbrauch
The scandal of the child abuse has caused the priests to be repulsed by the scandal. In terms of prevention: How should they be educated, especially in an emotional way?
- Priests need understanding and solidarity. The current abuse situation puts them to the test, and they need the community to be able to better meet their obligations. This need also applies to the priesthood education, which should not be completely isolated, but should be pursued in partnership and collaboration with families, the local communities, the elderly and lay people. The principle of freedom of expression was always a valuable tool to help us to move towards a sense of security.
Manche meinen, dass die Abschaffung des priesterlichen Zölibats dazu beitragen würde, Missbrauch zu verhindern.
- Many people think that the solution is the reason for the abuse, although abuse in all situations of life, in family life, in sporting activities, etc. takes place. The real cause is not the free life, but rather the desire for self-restraint and emotional instability. It is certainly necessary to optimize the pursuit of a real commitment to the priesthood and to ensure the psycho-affective and moral balance of the candidates.
Wie lässt sich der Zölibat heute erklären?
- The Bible must be drawn from the perspective of the faith. Christus rief seine Jünger auf, alles zu verlassen und ihm nachzufolgen. Er konnte dies aufgrund seiner göttlichen Identität als ewiger Sohn des Vaters tun, der im Fleisch kam, um den Menschen das Heil zu bringen. Ihm im Zölibat zu folgen, ist in erster Linie ein Bekenntnis zu dieser Identität und ein Akt der Liebe als Antwort auf seinen liebevollen Ruf.
The priests have a special role in the mission of the Church. How do you define this mission, the "path", the priesthood?
- The main priority is the Taufweihe, which makes us to be the solemn and holy ones. The order is in the service of the growth of the priesthood through the examination of the words and the spending of the sakramente. The Priest thus draws from a spiritual community that can fill his heart with apostolic joy when it becomes part of the Spirit of the Holy Spirit.
There is another aspect of the Symposium, which you should consider.öchten?
- Yes, of course. The overarching goal of the Symposium may well be to recognize the importance and role of the life gained for the community of the two groups in the presence of Christ, the priestly priesthood and the Order.
