by Mgr. José A. BettencourtUtter silence befell an overflowing St. Peter’s Basilica, during the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament presided over by a kneeling Benedict XVI, at the opening of "
The Year for Priests", last June 19, 2009. My mind roamed through memories of my sixteen years of priesthood, first as a parish priest in Ottawa, then a student priest in Rome, a diplomat of the Holy See at the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy) in Kinshasa and as an official of His Holiness’ Secretary of State in the Vatican.
As unusual a priestly experience as it might sound to some, my love of the priesthood is rooted in a very simple "impulse": love and service of Christ and his Church. I have always been inspired by St. Paul’s call to "faith, hope and love" (First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 12: 31-13, 8).
The theme for "
The Year for Priests" states my "inspiration" in better terms: "faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of priests". Indeed, fulfillment comes when I am most faithful to Christ’s call through and with His Church.
In the silence of Eucharistic adoration, my mind recalled some of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of my priesthood, especially in the months leading up to January 2001, when I found myself alone at the Apostolic Nunciature in Kinshasa amidst a prolonged regional African war and the assassination of President Laurent Kabila by a personal bodyguard just a few kilometers from the Nunciature.
Everyone was vulnerable to violence inflicted by soldiers and rebels alike, even the religious communities who gave so generously particularly in health care and education risked their very lives. The Apostolic Nunciature worked for peace along side the local Church and people of good will helping the poor and the suffering through her charity and her direct diplomatic channels. In fact, the Holy See’s century’s old diplomatic service is "another instrument" for furthering the evangelizing mission of Christ and working towards ensuring that the "dignity of the human person" is the main concern of our society.
I was asked one summer while on holidays in Ottawa "how many baptisms and weddings had I done in the Congo?" The astonishment was real when I confessed, that although the Church was vibrant in the Congo, I hadn’t been called upon to celebrate any baptisms or weddings.
However I did often assist local priests and celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, even under palm trees. Working together with the Apostolic Nuncio (Papal Ambassador) and the local Church we tried as best we could to offer a helping hand, channeling aid to refugees - sometimes arranging documents that allowed refugees to leave life threatening situations.
We visited "political" prisoners (often priests and bishops), sought to maintain communication with far flung communities, channeled aid to victims of the volcano in Goma, and we frequently participated in meetings with officials from governments, international organizations and diplomatic missions with the aim of bettering the plight of the suffering.
Above all, as priests we prayed and celebrated the Sacred Liturgy, often with members of the diplomatic corps and international organizations (including Canadian UN peacekeepers) working in the country.
When I was appointed to my next assignment in the Vatican, in many ways I was sorry to leave Kinshasa. I saw how beautiful the people were under very difficult circumstances and looking back, I realized that I had never really been alone.
Even though there were many situations when I would have preferred the comforts of home (I caught malaria, was held at gun point twice…), I felt that Christ, through the priesthood I had been given, had made a difference. My experience was very much like that of other priests working in different ministries. When one is willing to offer himself fully to Christ, he will be given the strength he needs by our gracious Lord.
At St. Peter's, the Blessed Sacrament on the altar over the tomb of the Apostle was incensed by the 265th successor of St. Peter, Benedict XVI. As the bellows of smoke rose up the columns of Bernini’s
baldachino toward Michelangelo's dome, light shone through the stained glass window in the apse depicting the white dove symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Between heaven and earth the overflowing Basilica intoned the
"Tantum Ergo" and I, a priest of the Archdiocese of Ottawa, knew that I was part of this pilgrim Church gathered from the four corners of the globe to reaffirm our commitment to the living person of Christ Jesus.
Once again, I brought to my prayer the many people with whom I had journeyed. I thanked the Lord for the precious gift of the priesthood and asked Almighty God that this sanctifying ministry may be revealed to many.