VATICAN - “One thing the faithful expect of priests: that they be specialists in fostering the encounter between each person and God. A priest is not required to be an expert in economy, or building or politics. He is expected to be an expert in the spiritual life”: Pope Benedict XVI addresses Polish clergy in Warsaw cathedral

Warsaw (Agenzia Fides) - After the welcome ceremony at Warsaw airport at the start of his pastoral visit to Poland Pope Benedict XVI went to St John’s Cathedral where he had a meeting with the local clergy introduced to him by Cardinal Primate Józef Glemp.
Commenting the words of St Paul (Rom 1,8-12), the Holy Father recalled the tragic history of the capital and the nation and the suffering of the people in the not so distant past: “We recall the heroic acts of those witnesses to the faith who offered their life to God and to humanity, canonised saints and ordinary men and women who persevered in uprightness, sincerity and goodness never giving way to discouragement”. The Pope made special mention of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, “who with total trust in Christ and his Mother served the Church faithfully amidst painful and prolonged trials”.
The Pope urged the clergy: “Believe in the power of your priesthood! By virtue of the sacrament you have received you are all that you are … at the moment of your Ordination, by means of the liturgical sign of the laying on of hands, Christ took you under his special protection; you are hidden in his hands and in his Heart. Immerse yourselves in his love and give Him your love!”. And he said that in the face of the fear the greatness of the priesthood can prompt they should have total trust: “We must not give way to haste, almost as if time dedicated to Christ in silent prayer were time lost. It is instead precisely there that the wondrous fruits of pastoral service are born. We must not be discouraged by the fact that prayer demands effort, or the impression that Jesus is silent. He is silent, but he is at work … In a world of so much noise and confusion, there is need of silent adoration of Jesus hidden in the Host. Be consistent in prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light above all for those who suffer.”
Tracing the identity of the priest the Pope said : “One thing the faithful expect of priests: that they be specialists in fostering the encounter between each person and God. A priest is not required to be an expert in economy, or building or politics. He is expected to be an expert in the spiritual life … in the face of temptations of relativism and permissivism, the priest is certainly not required to know all the present day, changing currents of thought; the faithful expect him to be a witness of eternal wisdom, contained in the revealed word … Christ needs priests who are mature and virile, able to cultivate authentic spiritual paternity. This calls for honesty with oneself, opening to one’s spiritual director and confidence in divine mercy”.
Pope Benedict XVI then recalled John Paul II’s call to Christians to do penance for faults committed in the past and he explained: “We believe the Church is holy, but in her there are sinners. We must reject the desire to identify ourselves only with those without sin. How could the Church exclude sinners from her ranks?... With humble sincerity we must neither deny the sins of the past nor indulge in hasty accusations in the absence of real proof or familiarity with the different mentality of those times … Asking forgiveness for the evil committed in the past we must also remember the good achieved with the assistance of divine grace which, although deposited in vessels of clay, produced even excellent fruit.”
In the last part of his address the Pope recalled one major task for the Church in Poland: ensuring pastoral care for Catholics living outside the country. “The Church in Poland has already offered numerous priests and religious who minister outside the country not only to Poles but also, and at times in most difficult conditions, in missions in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions. Dear priests, never forget these missionaries. The gift of numerous vocations with which God has blessed your Church must be welcomed in a truly Catholic spirit. Priests of Poland - the Pope concluded -, do not be afraid to leave your secure, familiar world to serve wherever priests are needed and where your generosity can bear copious fruits”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 26/5/2006 - righe 49, parole 715)