The Responsibilities and Significance of the CONGREGATIO PRO CLERICIS in the Life and Ministry of the Diocesan Clergy

Book excerpt: Of the many problems which excite general concern in the Catholic Church today are issues regarding the ministerial priesthood. Lack of collegiality with the authority structure of the Church and other circumstances have contributed to the frustration of many priests. Of this unfortunate state of affairs, this study carried out in the light of the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus of John Paul II aims to address some of those pertinent matters confronting priests in their day to day living. Its many features include the sanctification and ongoing formation of clerics, clerical rights and obligations, the equitable distribution of the clergy in the world and priestly sustenance. It also examines the pastoral leadership of parish priests in their sacramental role as "pater familias" in the community of faith and the challenges confronting pastoral ministry in today's parishes.