During his address to the members of the Plenary Assembly dedicated to priests, Pope Francis emphasised three points.
First, he conveyed his concern for the loneliness of priests and told them that it is important that they support one another and build relationships with the communities they serve.
“Unfortunately, many priests are too lonely, without the grace of accompaniment, without that sense of belonging that is like a life buoy in the often-stormy sea of personal and pastoral life,” he said.
Secondly, Pope Francis spoke of the crisis of priestly vocations, although he acknowledged that the problem is widespread since many people are not getting married either.
In this regard, he explained that on each World Day of Prayer for Vocations he no longer speaks only of vocations to religious life but also of the vocation of every Christian to be a missionary disciple of Christ.
Finally, Pope Francis spoke about the figure of the permanent deacon. He emphasised that the last synod spoke of the need to rediscover their social mission of deacons.