
Abuses and the Priestly Vocation According to Saint Alphonsus Mary of Liguori
This is why protecting adults and, especially, children and young people from all sins of impurity must be a fundamental concern for every Christian, whether layperson, priest, bishop, cardinal or Pope. Alongside the rules of life, which have always had and still have the role of preventing such scandalous acts, nothing is more important than the commitment of priests to the service of purity and chastity. Their mission is of the utmost importance. However, since the quality of priests depends strictly on their selection by those who consecrate them, the bishops, discerning those who have an authentic vocation from those who do not is the key to the fruitfulness of their ministry. This is why I will summarize here the criteria of the priestly vocation as established by an exceptional priest and bishop: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696–1787). His manual for priests, Dignity and Duties of the Priest; or, Selva, is the best possible reading on the priestly mission and its demands. [i]