Earlier today Pope Leo offered three insights into priestly formation. The first is that formation is a path of relationship, and this means “being formed in relationship, not just in skills.”
Therefore, the Pope warned against letting formation simply be focused on acquiring knowledge but be centered on growing in familiarity with God.
The second insight Pope Leo shared was that fraternity is a crucial part of priestly life. He encouraged the priests and seminarians to live as brothers and not rivals or isolated individuals.
He stressed how important this insight is with a question: “How could we, as ministers, build vibrant communities if there is no real and sincere brotherhood among us?”
Thirdly, Pope Leo argued that the formation of priests means forming men capable of loving, listening, praying, and serving together. It is for this reason “we must take great care in preparing formators.”
The seminary itself is a great reminder that priestly formation cannot take place in isolation but in community.
Even in the most remote and distant mission fields, the Pope said, no one is ever alone. He encouraged the formators, priests, and seminarians to live the “closeness” Pope Francis often called for.
“Always count on God’s grace and my closeness too,” Pope Leo explained, “and together we can truly be this voice in the world.”