Card. Marc Ouellet has organized a symposium on the priesthood, which will begin on Feb. 17 at the Vatican.
The Cardinal is the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and has spent more than a year preparing this conference.
He says the event will act as a reminder that all the baptized share a common priesthood, and with it, the responsibility of evangelizing.
CARD. MARC OUELLET
Prefect, Congregation for Bishops
'The title of the symposium is “For a fundamental theology of the priesthood.” In Catholic culture, we immediately think only of priests and bishops. It doesn't cross our mind that all the baptized participate in Christ's priesthood because of their baptism. When Pope Francis talks about the missionary conversion of the Church, he wants the entire Church to fulfill a mission in the world, because the Church has the responsibility of communicating the treasure of the faith to humanity.'
In fact, Pope Francis will kick off the symposium with a conference titled “Faith and priesthood today.”
The big proposal of the congress is to reflect on the relationship between the different vocations, including celibacy, though the Cardinal says that this will not be the main focus of the event
CARD. MARC OUELLET
Prefect, Congregation for Bishops
'That's not the center of the symposium. It will be discussed, but I'm worried that journalists will make the celibacy the main point of the symposium. And that's not it. The point is to study the relationship between priests, ordained ministers and the baptized.'
Card. Marc Ouellet explains that the symposium will dive into the conclusions reached at the Second Vatican Council, which confirmed the individual participation of all the baptized in the priesthood and analyzed the implications of this participation for their faith and evangelization.
JRB
TR: CT
