Settling In

I have been catching up by phone or visiting with people since arriving back.

I am excited about the Year of the Priest. We urgently need them. A number of parishes in Adelaide are served by either Deacons, Nuns or Laity, and Priests come on the weekend for Mass. The situation is very grave.

There are those around who do not see this as a bad thing as more authority is given to some women and some laity. Others say that they do not accept Pope Benedict's idea of priesthood because he sees Priests as part of an hierarchical structure.

A careful study of the Scriptures makes it very clear that the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven were given to Peter, and he was given the authority to bind and loose. Those who hear him, hear the Lord. Those who do not hear him, are not hearing the Lord.

A careful study of history going back to St Paul show that in every age there are always proud people, good in many ways like Lucifer, shining lights with devoted followers, deceiving people with false doctrines. One highy respected person, indeed a person very dear to me, used to boast in the seventies that the Church in Adelaide was the most like the Dutch Church than any other Church in Australia.

I have just read Cardinal Cassidy's book on his many years of Vatican service. The chapter on the problems faced by the Dutch Church outlines with power and clarity the devastation of the Church in Holland and the sorry state of public and private morality resulting from it.

A careful study of scripture and the Fathers of the Church demonstrates most clearly that the Church is hierarchical. Some have been given more authority than others to serve God's People in a special way. We need holy shepherds. We need holy, loyal Priests. Let us pray that God will bless many good young men and call them to take up the mantle of the Priesthood to serve the Church, God's People.