Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug 19, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Bishop Carlos Malfa of Chascomus, Argentina, said this week that celibacy, obedience and prayer are three “absolute requirements” for priestly life that find their meaning in pastoral charity.
The bishop made his comments during an ordination ceremony in the diocesan cathedral.
He said a priest’s prayerful attitude “allows him to deepen his interior life, overcome fatigue and monotony, so that he has something new to offer, because it is an encounter with the Father.”
Likewise, obedience “is only valid,” he said, “inasmuch as it is a sacrifice to God, and it finds its meaning in the communion of the Church. A responsible, authentic and mature obedience requires a profound attitude of faith, love and sincere dialogue. Obedience should be loyal and frank,” and it can be broken “by rebellion, indifference or cowardness,” he explained.