Priest SHUTS DOWN Viral Attack on Catholic Leadership (Fr Cristino)

In response to a viral attack questioning Catholic Leadership and the Priesthood, Fr Cristino powerfully shuts down misconceptions about celibacy and leadership. Drawing from Faith and Jesus’ example, this episode is a must!

Transcript

Part of the problem with work in Catholicism, especially for men, the leader is the priest. And the priest is committed to poverty and chastity. So, I imagine you have some thoughts on that. I don't know if he said anything that was accurate. I do not take the three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. I think Jesus was broke. It seems like it. I think Jesus was chased. He certainly says so. But that's not the kind of man that inspires other men. He says, "The fact that I don't have a wife doesn't mean that I don't understand the responsibility that a man ought to have in taking care of the people who are entrusted to him and providing for them."

Father Christina, welcome back. Thanks. It's good to have you. Now, uh, on the internet sometimes things stand out to you and you're like, I wonder what Father Christina would say about this. So, I got something on my phone, a video, and uh I want you to react to it. I'll turn it over to you. You just hit play. Sure. I love Catholics. There are Catholics that love Jesus. But part of the problem with work in Catholicism, especially for men, the leader is the priest. And the priest is committed to poverty and chastity. Just so you know, that's my unbucket list. I don't want to die a broke virgin at the church. In fact, I promise you that's not how I'm going out within that. It doesn't bring the healthiest men and it doesn't encourage and inspire men. Cuz if the leader is, well, he doesn't have a wife, he doesn't have kids, he doesn't own anything, he's not building anything, and he's not responsible for anyone, it's really hard to admire that guy. So, I imagine you have some thoughts on that. Yeah, I wonder where to begin. I don't know if he said anything that was accurate. Uh, I don't know who that is. Um first of all we need to differentiate in the priesthood between different ways in which the priesthood is lived out. Uh there's what are referred to as secular priests which probably sounds a bit weird but I'll explain that in a moment and religious priests which you would say aren't all priests religious but the point about a religious priest is that they belong to an order. And so their first and primary vocation is to be part of the order. So we've heard of things like the Benedictines or the Dominicans or the Franciscans, the Carmelites. So they have an order and their membership in that order dictates the way in which they live their life and what their particular charrorism is. And so the order of preachers is the the proper name of the Dominicans. And so their charism is supposed to be that of of teaching and preaching. the orders of the friars miners, the technical name of the Franciscans. Uh, and the whole idea behind them is that they're supposed to live as though they were like the little brothers of Jesus, that they just tried their best to imitate him in his poverty. So, there's so many religious orders and the ways that you can be a religious priest. They take three vows that are known as the evangelical councils of chastity, poverty, and obedience. Chastity meaning perfect continents. In other words, no sexual relationship, which therefore also means no marriage. Poverty means that you don't own anything of your own. That you use what is owned collectively by the community. And obedience meaning that you have a superior who will dictate the way in which you exercise your ministry and how you organize yourselves in your shared common life. So that's its own whole reality. Some religious priests end up serving in a parish community uh if that's what their superior asks them to do. But they're they're one way of being a priest. The secular priest is called secular just because he's not a religious priest which means he lives in the world. He doesn't belong to an order. He does not have a religious superior. The secular priest is a priest among secular people who live in the world and have a job and have a family. And that's what your average typical parish priest is. That's what I am. And that is sometimes referred to as a diosis and priest because I belong to a dascese. And I do not take the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. I take promises and vows and promises are seen to be different from each other. A vow is made directly to God. And in this case, the promises that we take are made to a bishop. When my promises to the bishop are that I would remain celibate, which means that yes, I do renounce marriage, but I renounce marriage for the sake of being available to my parishioners in order to put myself completely at their service to imitate our Lord who himself also was not married. and in order to be able to uh imitate on earth the kind of union that we're supposed to have with God in heaven where Jesus himself says there will be no giving or taking and receiving in marriage. So that's why I take that promise of celibacy and then I promise obedience to the bishop and those are the only two uh promises that are actually made. Canon law then stipulates other things about how we live our life. One of which is that we should live a life of simplicity. Uh but that does not mean poverty. I own my own vehicle. I own my own computer. I have investments. I'm saving for retirement. I earn a paycheck and I have a salary and I have to manage my finances accordingly because someday I have to take care of myself when I'm not employed by the parish that currently provides for my other needs. So I am much more like you or any other man who's trying to care for a family than I am unlike one. Yes, fine. I I don't have a wife. The fact that I don't have a wife doesn't mean that I don't understand the responsibility that a man ought to have in taking care of the people who are entrusted to him and providing for them. So his characterization of a man who is a priest not being able to be looked up to or that he's a bad leader because you can't relate to him is baloney. I if you can't relate to me, it might be because I have a bad personality. But it's not going to be because I don't have a wife and I have no money. The way that that he describes the poverty angle is just simply untrue. So, sorry I've gone on great length here, but I think that his argument is bogus because if if I am a good leader, it's going to be because I possess the qualities of leadership. And a leader inspires people to do what they are capable of doing and doing it to the best of their ability. You don't have a leader because they're the same as you. That's not what makes someone a leader. I find it interesting that he lists qualities of like being broke, being chased, and not being responsive. Being broke and being chased. Let's just take those two. Uh I think Jesus was broke. It seems like it. I think Jesus was chased. He certainly says so. But that's not the kind of man that inspires other men. He says, right? And it seemed to me that is he a preacher or something? Some sort of person preacher. So I don't understand what he thinks about Jesus. If if I as a priest am just simply trying to imitate the life of our Lord and that's what I believe is my greatest and quality as a potential leader. I don't know what he thinks a real good leader actually should be like. [Music]