I write fondly of the many maverick priests I have befriended. I know the type so well: eccentric, creative, charming, insightful, self-willed, autonomous, prayerful, free-spirited, affectionate, generous. They are not organization men but artistic and bohemian, alienated from ordinary parish and clerical life, allergic to Church bureaucracy. They are a headache for bishop or religious superior. Obedience is not their strongest virtue but they do negotiate a delicate truce with the bishop so that they remain in communion with the Church. They do their own thing...chaplaincy, special mission, etc...with the approval, albeit grudging, of the superior.
The renegade priest is something different. He is disobedient. He does his own thing in defiance of the bishop. The current case of (Fr.) Frank Pavone seems to be just that. Apparently there have been years of defiance in which he has failed to reconcile with his bishop. Was there fault on both sides? Not for us to judge as we don't know the details. But clearly the Church cannot tolerate renegade, "I had it my way" priests.
Eric Simmons in a recent Crisis magazine article accurately identifies it as a question of vocation: are you first and foremost a priest or a pro-life advocate. You cannot have it both ways. Your primary allegiance is to your priesthood, which is obedient to the correct superior; or to your cause. If the later you need to step out of the clergy to serve your mission.
This brings us to the question of the "hyphenated priest": the priest-psychologist, priest-lawyer, priest-doctor and priest-scholar. In the wake of the Council, the late 1960s and 70s, there was a lot of interest among the clergy in these secondary professions. I attribute it to a devaluation of the priestly ministry of Word and Sacrament and an infatuation with the secular professions, but especially the therapeutic and the political.
The hyphenated thing did not work. Over 90% of priests who studied psychology left the priesthood. It's like bigamy: one has to be primary; you can't have two wives. A priest can have any number of assignments, ministries, avocations, interests, and engagements. Our Catholic way is that a priest does not marry because he gives himself entirely to God, in the Church, under the bishop. That is celibacy. But obedience is analogous: his obedience to the bishop trumps any other allegiance or interest.
A special case is the priest-academic. We have a long tradition of priest scholars because our tradition is so intellectual that we require such a cadre to train new priests and preserve and enhance our deposit of faith. However even here the prime allegiance is to the bishop: priests commonly move in and out of the academy and the parish or chancery. In college I was taught by Maryknoll missionary priests: all had doctorates and were competent academically. Almost all went on to serve in the missions. The academic profession was entirely subordinate.
A classmate-friend of mine wanted to be a missionary and a doctor. Extremely persistent, he became a missionary priest, and then a doctor, then a surgeon, then an expert in Africa on the Aids pandemic. I have admired his determination but secretly sympathized with his superiors. The demands of a medical career like this are normally in conflict with the demands of the priesthood. But he succeeded. He is now retired but, I believe, doing priestly work. I suspect he would agree that the priesthood has been his primary vocation.
It seems to me also that psychology is compatible and enriching of the priesthood in the various forms of therapy, counseling and spiritual direction. Fr. Benedict Groeschel is an example. Again, however, this profession remains subordinate to the primary vow.
We do well to pray for Frank Pavone. He seems confused. He has contrived an activism using his priesthood as a support. He has been stripped of his priesthood. What remains of his pro-life mission?
May he find the humility to be docile to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. May all our priests and bishops be likewise humble and docile!
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