By Junno Arocho Esteves
OSV News
Priests are called each day to leave the doors of the church open to a “suffering humanity” in need and not “be an obstacle to those who wish to enter,” Pope Leo XIV told 10 deacons just before ordaining them to the priesthood.
The vocation to priestly ministry is a call to reflect Christ’s “patience and tenderness” and “to keep the threshold open and direct others to it, without using too many words, the pope said April 26 during his homily at the ordination Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, which coincided with the celebration of the World Day of Vocations.
“Today more than ever, especially when statistics seem to indicate a divide between people and the church, keep the door open! Let people in, and be prepared to go out. This is another secret for your life: You are a channel, not a filter,” he said.
Of the 10 new priests, eight were ordained for the Diocese of Rome — six Italians, a Cameroonian and a Colombian.
Two priests were ordained for other dioceses or congregations. Mexican Father Armando Roa Nunez was ordained for the Diocese of Miao, India, while Father Selwyn Pinto Loyce was ordained as a member of the Idente Missionaries.
After greeting those present at the Mass, Pope Leo began his homily by exclaiming, “This Sunday is full of life.” He said that “although death surrounds us,” Jesus’ promise in the Gospel reading — that he came “so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” — was fulfilled.
“We see great generosity and enthusiasm in the willingness of these young men whom the church calls today to be ordained as priests,” the pope said. “As a numerous and diverse community gathered around the one Master, we feel a presence that renews us. It is the Holy Spirit who unites people and vocations in freedom, so that no one lives for themselves any longer.”
Reflecting on the priestly vocation, the pope reminded the candidates that the deeper their bond with Christ, “the more radical your belonging to all of humanity,” thus binding their hearts to “an indissoluble love.”