Pope Leo XIV: Priests must learn not to feel superior

Vatican City - The image of priests in the Catholic Church is changing. Pope Francis has already firmly rejected a return to the old days, when ordained clergy still felt they were "something better". And his successor takes a similar view.

Published on 25.07.2025 at 13:28 –

Pope Leo XIV spoke out in favour of ensuring that clerics should not feel superior to the ordinary people of the church when training priests. In an address to the participants of an international conference on priestly training in the Vatican on Friday, he recalled the early days of the Christian Church. At that time, all believers saw themselves as missionary disciples. Today, it is important to "return to this participation of all the baptised in the witness and proclamation of the Gospel".

Priests must learn not to act as "lonely leaders" and not to exercise their ordained ministry with a "sense of superiority". They must therefore be trained more and more in close connection with the people of God - "with the contribution of all its members: priests, lay people and consecrated persons, men and women". (KNA)