Some time ago, I shared with the Italian bishops my worry that, in more than a few places, our priests feel themselves attacked and blamed for crimes they did not commit. Despite the hardships of the journey, you are writing the finest pages of the priestly life. I want to say a word to each of you who, often without fanfare and at personal cost, amid weariness, infirmity and sorrow, carry out your mission of service to God and to your people. Mt 20:12), confronting an endless variety of situations in your effort to care for and accompany God’s people. Like the Curé of Ars, you serve “in the trenches”, bearing the burden of the day and the heat (cf. On this, his feast day, I write this letter not only to parish priests but to all of you, my brother priests, who have quietly “left all behind” in order to immerse yourselves in the daily life of your communities. A hundred and sixty years have passed since the death of the holy Curé of Ars, whom Pope Pius XI proposed as the patron of parish priests throughout the world.
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