Spiritual Maturity, Option for Poor among Qualities of Parish Priest: Angolan Archbishop

The fundamental mission of a Parish Priest before the people of God, the Angola Catholic Archbishop said, is to “give spiritual guidance to the community, to show people God, and to lead people to God.”

“The Parish Priest is a man of God, a servant of God to whom the Bishop entrusts the responsibility of spiritually guiding the community and leading people to God,” he reiterated.

The Local Ordinary of Luanda Archdiocese underscored the need for Parish Priests to “show people God, to lead people to God through the Gospel, to lead people to God through the witness of love.”

“Because love conquers all, because love endures all, love convinces everyone, love lifts everyone up, love is what St. Paul says harms no one,” he said, and added, “Only the Devil, only Satan, only witches are harmed by love.”

“Love harms no one, love is respectful, love is a fine thing, it's a cautious reality, it's a reality that always seeks the best and the good of what is loved. It tries not to hurt; it tries not to sell; it is patient; it is not hasty,” Archbishop Dias said.

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Reflecting on the importance of newly erected Parish, the Archbishop of Luanda said, “The parish is this place, this community, where together we try to experience Jesus Christ; we try to meet him; we try to listen to him; we try to be advised by him, comforted by him, instructed by him.”

He continued, “We try to dust off and renew the seed of God in us, to make this new man develop in us.”

In a Parish Priest, Archbishop Dias said, a Parishioner should be able to see a “man created in the image of God, walking with me, being by my side every day and inspires me, advises me, comforts me and pampers me and leads me to open up to my brothers and sisters, because I am not alone.”

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.