Wandering through a world ruined by the consequences of the “sexual revolution,” where intimate aspects of life have become mere commodities, nothing surprises us anymore. We have even become accustomed to presidents, ministers, ecclesiastical hierarchs, or media moguls being publicly exposed for all sorts of sexual sins. Despite their frequency, we are, every time, disturbed by such revelations. And when they concern priests of the beloved Catholic remnant of Tradition, we feel like the ground is trembling beneath us. In such a situation, we owe it to ourselves to reflect seriously on an extremely grave situation. Not a sterile reflection, but one that helps us to face such disclosures. Although simple laypeople, who do not have the authority to make decisions on such matters, we can and must draw the attention of ecclesiastical superiors that their roles necessarily involve concrete actions aimed at protecting the flock entrusted to them. With all due respect, we must constantly remind them of what we expect from them: to be living examples of holiness and justice. And when scandalous situations require it, without losing sight of Christian charity and mercy, they are obliged to apply punishments to heal the harm done and to eliminate its devastating effects.

Membership doesn’t make saints

One of the first things I want to emphasize is that membership doesn’t automatically make saints. Even if we were members of the earliest communities founded by Saints such as Benedict, Dominic, Francis, or Teresa of Avila, this wouldn’t automatically imply that we have become saints. The same holds true for members of any traditionalist community, whether it be the Society of Saint Pius X, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, or the Institute of Christ the King and Sovereign Priest. Membership isn’t a magic talisman or a string of enchanted words that instantly transforms us into saints. Neither does the Sacrament of Ordination of a priest accomplish this, just as the Sacrament of Baptism doesn’t turn us into Saint Padre Pio or Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Although we receive the same graces meant to help us on the path to holiness, they are potentialities that require actualization through a virtuous life in accordance with the vows taken. Saints are saints precisely because they have done this: in the words of the Gospels, they have made fruitful the “talents” entrusted to them.

The teaching on discernment of the priestly vocation can be summarized in a single, short, sentence: those called to the priestly status must lead a holy life.

As we have learned since the distant times of the Old Testament, when the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah attracted their terrible punishment, it is clear that sexuality is the main field of confrontation between “light” and “darkness.” No other area of human life is more exposed than that of intimate relationships. This is because no other aspect is more important than that of procreation. If we enjoy, today, so many saints, in countless cases this is due to the good Christian families in which they were born.

This is why protecting adults and, especially, children and young people from all sins of impurity must be a fundamental concern for every Christian, whether layperson, priest, bishop, cardinal or Pope. Alongside the rules of life, which have always had and still have the role of preventing such scandalous acts, nothing is more important than the commitment of priests to the service of purity and chastity. Their mission is of the utmost importance. However, since the quality of priests depends strictly on their selection by those who consecrate them, the bishops, discerning those who have an authentic vocation from those who do not is the key to the fruitfulness of their ministry. This is why I will summarize here the criteria of the priestly vocation as established by an exceptional priest and bishop: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696–1787). His manual for priests, Dignity and Duties of the Priest; or, Selva, is the best possible reading on the priestly mission and its demands.^[i]

The teaching on discernment of the priestly vocation can be summarized in a single, short, sentence: those called to the priestly status must lead a holy life. That is, they must already be saints through the heroic practice of virtues. Period. Quoting Saint Jerome, Alphonsus shows that nobility of blood is not a criterion for choosing those who will become guides of the faithful on the path of salvation:

“Nobility is not a mark of a divine vocation. To know, says Saint  Jerome,  whether  a  person  should  become  the guide  of  the  people  in  what  regards  their  eternal  salvation,  we  must  consider  not  nobility  of  blood,  but  sanctity of  life.”

Of course, this statement made much more sense in a world where there were aristocratic and even royal families who wanted some of their boys to embrace the ecclesiastical career, whose prestige was shining. That’s why many saints, from John Chrysostom to Francis de Sales, Alphonsus and John Bosco, insisted that only the holiness of life could represent the indication of an authentic vocation, not the nobility of genealogy.

When it comes to holiness, we shouldn’t think so much about spectacular things, with great signs and miracles, as we see in the case of the Apostles of Christ the Savior or of saints like Nicholas (270–343), Joseph of Cupertino, OFM (1603–1663), and Philip Neri (1515–1595), but rather about the heroic practice of virtues. This is not possible without a profound spiritual life, of prayer and meditation. Saint Alphonsus himself will detail all these things by describing the three main signs of authentic vocations. Let’s take them one by one.

In addition to prayer, when situations require it, we are duty-bound to remind the hierarchs of the Church, with all due respect, what God expects from them and what we, members of the flock of Christ the Savior, need from them: to be examples of real holiness, visible especially through deeds and virtuous lives, only afterwards through words of guidance.

Purity of Intention

In a world where the absolute slogan has become “follow your dream,” encouraging us not to discover the vocation for which God created us, but to be our own gods by determining for ourselves which careers to pursue, this first point is of decisive significance. This is all the more so since, based on established authors, Saint Alphonsus affirms that “he who is impelled by ambition, interest or a motive of his own glory, is called not by God, but by the devil.” Therefore, even Saint Anselm says that “he who enters the priesthood through so unworthy motives shall receive not a blessing but a malediction from God.” Considering such alarming warnings, we must ask ourselves what the real motivation for the priesthood calling is. Saint Alphonsus is as clear as can be:

“If anyone presents himself for holy Orders without any vicious affection, and with the sole desire to be employed in the service of God and in the salvation of his neighbor, he, we can believe, is called by God.”

This is what a truly pure intention means! As it can be seen, it is absolutely altruistic, strictly subordinate to the good of the soul in the service of God, without any personal ambition and, above all, without “any vicious affection.”

Theological/Spiritual Science and Talents

“Priests must be masters to teach the people the law of God.” Following this statement, in which he described the essence of things regarding the priest's mission, there follows a much longer passage in which Alphonsus describes the consequences of the ignorance of a holy servant:

“An  ignorant  priest,  particularly  a  confessor,  who  teaches false  doctrines  and  gives  bad  counsels  will  be  the  ruin of  many  souls;  because,  inconsequence  of  being  a  priest, his  errors  are  easily  believed.  Hence  Ivone  Carnotensis has  written:  ‘No  one  should  be  admitted  to  holy  Orders unless  he  has  given  sufficient  proofs  of  good  conduct  and learning’.”

What does the priest's knowledge entail? Specifically, “all the rubrics necessary for the celebration of Mass,” then “the principal things that regard the Sacrament of Penance,” and “at least the general principles of Moral Theology.” In addition to all these, I would personally add that a good culture can be particularly attractive to certain categories of believers. I say this because my mother’s conversion depended on the respect that certain priests gained from her precisely through their remarkable culture: history, philosophy, literature, arts. Without becoming worldly, but by constantly teaching laypeople to distinguish between what is beneficial in secular culture and what is scandalous and unhelpful, priests can win souls through their culture, expressed with humility and simplicity.

As for sexual scandals, we would be the happiest not only if we saw those already known properly addressed, but also if we never heard of any such abominable acts again.

Positive Goodness of Character

Finally, the third point of the criterion proposed by Saint Alphonsus is also the strongest. Ideally, he asserts, according to the First Council of Nicaea (325), “a person who had committed a single moral sin could never be ordained.” When I first read this text, I was so surprised that I immediately checked the documents to see Canon 9 of Nicaea where this requirement is stated. Here is the canon:

“If any presbyters have been advanced without examination, or if upon examination they have made confession of crime, and men acting in violation of the canon have laid hands upon them, notwithstanding their confession, such the canon does not admit; for the Catholic Church requires that [only] which is blameless.”^[ii]

A commentary on this adds that anyone who is ordained without examination will be deposed if later found guilty. As we can see, Saint Alphonsus implies that the motives behind such a demanding attitude target all mortal sins. However, showing a certain indulgence, he immediately adds the following:

“It  is  true that  this  rigorous  discipline  has  ceased  in  the  Church, but  it  has  been  always  at  least  required  that  he  who  had fallen  into  grievous  sins  should  purify  his  conscience for  a  considerable  time  before  his  ordination.”

Then, eager to avoid too lax an attitude, he will insist on the consequences of disregarding this requirement in the clearest terms possible:

“He, then, who finds himself bound by a habit of any vice cannot take any holy Order without incurring the guilt of mortal sin.”

What the holy Doctor affirms here is in complete continuity with what has been postulated from the beginning: the candidate for priesthood must be characterized by a true holiness of life, from which any kind of vice must be excluded. I am sure that these affirmations do not aim to discourage those who wish to become priests, but rather to encourage them to prepare thoroughly, practicing with all seriousness, consistency, and manhood a virtuous life. Only this truly recommends them for the priesthood. Any superficiality in such matters has terrible consequences. If today we hear of so many scandalous sins of the clergy, this is a clear sign of the exceptional importance of the criterion proposed by Saint Alphonsus.

As for us, the laity, at first glance it may seem that we cannot do much. And yet we can do something. First and foremost, we must pray with all our hearts both for our hierarchs and for all priests. Special prayers should also be dedicated to the correct discernment that bishops are duty-bound to exercise. In addition to prayer, when situations require it, we are duty-bound to remind the hierarchs of the Church, with all due respect, what God expects from them and what we, members of the flock of Christ the Savior, need from them: to be examples of real holiness, visible especially through deeds and virtuous lives, only afterwards through words of guidance. As for sexual scandals, we would be the happiest not only if we saw those already known properly addressed, but also if we never heard of any such abominable acts again.

Sancta Maria, auxilium Christianorum, ora pro nobis!

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[i] The entire manual can be read online here: https://archive.org/details/alphonsusworks12liguuoft [Accessed: 14 April 2024].

[ii] Link: https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214/npnf214.vii.vi.xiv.html [Accessed: 14 April 2024].