Pope urges seminarians to build deep friendship with Christ

(January 20, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday urged seminarians of his Rome diocese to build a deep personal relationship with God saying it is fundamental to the life of a priest. The Pope’s exhortation came during a meeting with the community of the Almo Collegio Capranica, one of the seminaries of Rome. The Holy Father told the future priests that the Church expects much from them in the work of evangelization and new evangelization. The Holy Father recalled the patron of the College, St. Agnes, one of the most famous virgins of Rome whose friendship with Christ led to her martyrdom. On the Vigil of her Feast, the Pope called on the seminarians to follow her example of martyrdom and virginity, in order to be credible witnesses of the Faith. “The formation of the priest,” the Pontiff said, “requires integrity, completeness, ascetic exercise, heroic constancy and fidelity in all the aspects that constitute that formation.” “In its foundation there should be a solid spiritual life, animated by an intense relationship with God, both at a personal and at a communal level, with particular care for the celebration of the liturgy and frequent reception of the Sacraments,” the Pope said. He reminded them that the fullness of holiness calls for the priest’s total gift of self to Christ, meaning also virginity.