Priests/Priesthood

As pope, John Paul II held a tradition of writing a Holy Thursday letter to priests his entire pontificate.

Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholics to pray for priests who find themselves in crisis and to “support those who so often support us.”

“Life reveals itself as a continual act of trusting in the Lord and abandoning ourselves to him, even when his plans unsettle our own.”

The question is “no longer whether” married men can be ordained, but “when” and “who will do it,” Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp said.

Nicaragua’s co-presidents are likely seeking a renewal in Catholic leadership, with clergy supportive of the regime populating the hierarchy.

“To give a true homily is to share faith,” and artificial intelligence “will never be able to share faith,” the pope added.

“The high moment in any day is my celebrating Mass. And you stop to think, ‘What am I doing here?’ You can’t beat this! This is the tops!”

“Our appreciation” for efforts supporting the religious worker visas program “cannot be overstated,” said the USCCB’s president and its migration chair.

The letter, released Dec. 22, marked the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s decrees on priestly formation and on the life and ministry of priests.

Priests feel “faithful to their calling,” useful, “in their place,” and generally “at peace,” if less idealistic than when they began.