WelCom June/July 2021
Pope Francis has warned newly ordained priests against the twin perils of worldly ambition and love of money. Speaking at a Mass in Rome, where he ordained nine deacons to the priesthood, the Pope acknowledged that in the past there used to be talk of the ‘ecclesiastical career’. But he continued: ‘This is not a career, it is a service, a service like that which God has done to his people. And this service of God to his people has “a style”, a style that you must follow. Style of closeness, style of compassion and style of tenderness. This is God’s style. Closeness, compassion, tenderness.’ He urged the nine men to beware of vanity and ‘the pride of money’. The devil enters via the pockets, he said.