Diocese of Rome in catastrophic state thanks to the Bishop. He cannot be bothered to visit the Diocesan seminary.

Pope Francis met with several priests from the diocese of Rome, accompanied by H.E.R. Monsignor Riccardo Lamba, auxiliary bishop for the eastern sector of Rome. The meeting began with a moment of prayer. The Pope then broke the ice by saying:

Seminary located next to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral Church of Rome

“Ask the questions you want, not just the canonical questions.”

A priest spoke about the climate in the diocese of Rome:

“In the letter you sent us, you highlighted two very beautiful things about priestly fraternity and then about the emotional and effective communion that you want to experience with us. I linger on it and I think we feel a little lost, tired, challenged, tired. We feel a little lost. There is often an air of fatigue, of siding, of suspicion. We regret it. So the fact that we don't have a meeting of the clergy all together. I think we need to break this air a little. I think communion between priests is important. We ask you to help us overcome this moment, the difficulties of the episcopal council, things that you know. We need you personally to help us. For example, the clergy meeting, we need to see each other at least once a year.”

It must be said that the Pope never went to his seminary to speak to his seminarians. His predecessors did it, Francis did not do it. In recent years, he has fomented an internal struggle within the Vicariate of Rome, for which a bishop and a priest paid the price, torpedoed overnight. Francis favored the division of the Roman clergy, just as he does today with “piecemeal” meetings, rather than bringing unity. After all, the motto is not “Miserando atque eligendo” but “Divide and conquer”.

The Pope replied:

“I always receive the priests”. “The advantage of Santa Marta is that they come to the doorman’s box and we let them go up. There are many priests who come. If they want to come, they come, so they reduce the distance.”

It is not true that everyone has access to Santa Marta, as Francis says. Only those who have “entries” into the inner circle enter Santa Marta.

Starting from a remark on the inscription that can be read on the facade of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, another asked:

"It seems to me that Rome is doing very well in serving the poor. Our parishes are full. However, the queues of people requesting the sacraments are not increasing. In our Church of Rome, we are experiencing a profound crisis of faith, of Christian practice. Just look at baptisms: around 50% of people do not baptize their children. Few of them ask for confirmation after Holy Communion.”

“Confirmation is the Sacrament of Farewell,” the Pope joked.

“The drop in attendance at Sunday Mass means that the seminary is almost empty. Today, having a young vicar has become a luxury. We wonder what to do. I believe that Rome is a land of mission, if there is an emergency, it is to proclaim the Gospel again, the beauty of the family, the beauty of becoming a priest.” “Even at the Synod, everyone says that we must proclaim the Gospel again, but no one explains how.”

The priest remembers:

“We experienced the Jubilee of the year 2000, which was an event of great re-evangelization. Many doors opened, schools, different realities. We saw that the Holy See and the government met. The mayor of Rome is taking steps to make Rome more welcoming to pilgrims. I wonder what the Church of Rome is doing, what are its spiritual interventions to welcome pilgrims.”

The Pope did not really appreciate:

"The Pope, in fact, accepts everything except that you speak to him about the good functioning before him and the lack of vocations. You are laughing at me ? These are not the problems. The big cities are pagan, there is a lot of paganism. We feel that many priests are tired, they are tired. There are cultural things that we don’t know how to manage, but it’s an all-time problem.”

Seeing that he no longer knew what to say, he returned to worldliness and said that it was a risk. About the Jubilee, he said: “We must not stop at the Jubilee, it is not the Jubilee that saves you, it is everyday life”.

Concerning people in a situation of adultery who want to be godfather/godmother of a baptized person, the Pope called for going beyond the norms…:

“You will say that the pope is Lutheran”. “During the general audiences, it happened to me, the last time 15 days ago, that this couple told me that they were united. The husband had a relationship, we remarried but we have been together for 25 years. Perhaps this sacrament was not valid.” “When I was in Asti, a lady wrote me a letter to tell me that she was around sixty years old and that she had entered into a second union. Her first marriage had gone badly, then she found this man, she had children, many grandchildren, but we couldn't communicate. I called her, I listened to her on the phone and I told her: “But go quietly, confess, but then go and receive communion in another parish so as not to scandalize people.” When they told the priest, he told them to do it in the parish.”

What is pastoral care for? What is the priest for? All you have to do is call on the phone, say two stupid things to the Pope so that he will give you access to the sacraments. Advice to priests: now take François' cell phone number and post it on the notice board, it will solve all the problems. After all, why take it upon ourselves? Take it, the common rules probably do not apply to Peter's successor.

“The beautiful norm,” said the Pope, “is the one that has exceptions. Like killing a lawyer in two seconds. Francis is, however, aware of what he is saying and adds: “Some will say that the pope is a relativist. But let it be a fruitful relativism”.

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