The Most Rev. Julien Kaboré, Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, has called on priests and religious, especially seminarians, to be authentic, live transparently as future priests, warning that hypocrisy begins long before ordination.
In an address during the closing Mass of the visit by His Eminence Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, OFM, Special Envoy of Pope Leo XIV, the Nuncio emphasized the importance of authenticity during the formation of priests.
He noted, “We must immediately underline the essential conditions for a fruitful vocation, and I would say authenticity… Saint Clement says, at the end of his reading, the Father is merciful in all he does and full of generosity. He loves those who fear him. In goodness and gentleness, he gives his graces to those who approach him with undivided hearts. We must then put away all duplicity, and not be distrustful in the face of his excellence, of his excelling and unwavering gift.”
According to the Nuncio, a credible disciple and priest “must be a man of truth, without masks, without double lives,” noting that “Jesus reserved his strongest rebukes in the Gospel for hypocrisy.”
The Nuncio also warned that hypocrisy often begins early in formation, saying, “When we see a priest who looks so straight, don’t think that it starts only after the ordination. It starts a long way before. Authenticity and consistency are therefore indispensable. If we desire priests who are integrated and whole, for I, as a clergy, must first give that example.”
He therefore called for transparency, humility, and regular examination of conscience, advising the seminarians to use the pause before night prayer for self-reflection.
Additionally, Most Rev. Julien Kaboré described money as “the excrement of the devil” but a “very good fertilizer,” and said that, “Money is necessary but it should never be first, never, because our first treasure is Christ and Christ alone.”
By: Veronica Sena Amenya
