2002 Oceania Bishops conference

Priests have no role in politics

 By Patrick Matbob

Politics is the vocation of the laity and not priests, a Catholic cardinal told seminarians in Rabaul yesterday.

Cardinal Jan Schotte

Cardinal Jan Schotte, the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, said it is the vocation of the laity to work for the betterment of the temporal society and no bishops or priests can take this place.

He said the role of the priest must always be to encourage the laity in their mission, which as baptized persons they have to carry out.

If the lay person doesn’t participate in creating a better world around himself or herself then he is as much a failure as the priest who does not administer the sacraments anymore.

A priest can not do what the lay people are doing because he would be exercising the mission of a lay person when he is not a lay person. The priest has received a vocation and a mission that is different, his charism is different.

He said since the 19th century the church has grappled with the question of whether priests should be involved in politics.

He said this raised the question of the role of priests in matters of society?

He said it is the priests’ role to encourage the laity in their mission in baptism.

He said if lay people fail then the priests have equally failed in their duty to the lay people.

“If you study the social doctrine of the church you will see there is no unique answer to the question.

“The answer is defined according to the mission and charism of each one in the church. “The church has always taught that the mission of the laity has always been to work for the betterment of the temporal order. This is their vocation. It is a vocation that only they can fulfil and no priests, bishop, church structure or liturgy can do in the place of the laity. 

He said a priest’s vocation and mission is different to the laity and a priest should guide and teach the social teachings of the church.

However, he said priests and bishops have become politicians and the church allows for that. He said the priest has to get permission from his bishop if he wants to enter politics and it is the up to the bishop to judge if it is justified.

Ends