
CV NEWS FEED // A military chaplain has issued his response to recent criticism regarding clericalism being leveled at young priests.
In an op-ed published by First Things Magazine, Fr James Hamel offers his own personal reflection on clericalism, and whether it is, in fact, the “central obstacle to the Church fulfilling her mission.”
Pope Francis recently gave an impromptu speech on clericalism during the October 2023 Synod of Bishops, which has since fanned the flames of an ongoing conversation targeting conservative priests.
In his unscripted comments, he declared that “it is enough to go to ecclesiastical tailor shops in Rome to see the scandal of young priests trying on cassocks and hats or albs and laced rochets.”
“Clericalism is a whip, it is a scourge, it is a form of worldliness that stains and damages the face of the Lord’s spouse; enslaves the faithful, holy people of God,” said the Holy Father.
“I hear the word ‘clericalism’ a lot these days,” Hamel remarked. “Depending on which Catholic journals or blogs you read, it’s either a rampant scourge upon our church, or it’s hardly a problem at all.”
Citing an essay by a priest and seminarian professor, Hamel drew comparisons between young priests and military servicemen. “Self-sacrifice, integrity, a desire to continually learn, humility, a strong sense of morality, self-control, and a wish to pursue excellence,” are traits shared between the two groups, says Hamel.
Hamel reflected that during his experience as a senior priest in the Air Force, most of the new priest recruits entering active duty were called to the priesthood in the aftermath of 9/11, the sex abuse scandal in 2002, and the Theodore McCarrick scandal in 2018.
“Rather than growing up in a culture where the Church and priesthood were held in high regard,” he observed, they have grown up seeing the Church pilloried from all corners, with priests as the punchline of many debauched jokes. Nonetheless, they have boldly stepped forward to serve.”
Hamel pointed out that these priests “fully embrace the military-like sacrifice that their calling demands,” from working long hours for little compensation to dressing distinctively.
Concluding, the chaplain wrote:
The young men that both of us work with are not principally clericalists, with all the negative connotations ascribed to that word. They are, rather, counter-cultural men who feel called, and who are invigorated by evangelizing our secular society. In fact, they see themselves bearing witness to Jesus Christ in an increasingly anti-Christian, anti-religious culture.
“Young priests, I salute you!”
