EPISTLES

On February 19, 2026, Pope Leo XIV addressed the clergy of Rome with striking clarity and candor. His message was not a collection of abstract reflections or gentle suggestions. It was a direct confrontation of priest errors that he believes must be corrected. Clear. Urgent. Deeply pastoral.

The life of a priest is a grueling, quiet sacrifice that few truly witness. Formation is an arduous stripping away of the self, yet the real trial begins in the trenches of the ministry.

A good priest carries the crushing weight of a thousand souls, exhausting his spirit to serve the broken. Meanwhile, a bad priest comfortably reclines in the prestige of his rank, feeding on the shallow esteem of society rather than the needs of his flock.

It is precisely because the faithful priest is so prone to exhaustion and the mediocre priest so prone to vanity that Pope Leo’s corrections are not just helpful—they are a lifeline.

Based directly on his address to the Roman clergy, here are seven priestly errors that I identified, which Pope Leo XIV emphasized must be corrected immediately.

1. Administering the sacraments apart from evangelization

Treating sacramental ministry as an isolated task assumes faith is transmitted by the surrounding culture; where cultural transmission has eroded, this leads to empty ritual without renewed proclamation.

“It is therefore urgent to return to proclaiming the Gospel: this is the priority.”
“Beware of ‘administering the sacraments apart from other forms of evangelization’.”

Priests should refocus parish ministry on proclamation of the Gospel first; integrate sacramental preparation with active evangelizing initiatives and creative forms of Christian initiation.

2. Relying on an outdated, “classic” pastoral model

Persisting with a pastoral model that presumes faith is passed on by family and society leaves priests unprepared for contemporary cultural and anthropological change.

“Ordinary pastoral care is structured according to a classic model … such a model presupposes that faith is in some way transmitted also by the surrounding environment.”

Priests should experiment with new ways of transmitting faith outside traditional school‑rhythms and parish routines to reach children, young people, and families.

3. Working in isolation and self‑referential pastoralism

Acting alone or competitively produces overwork, duplicated efforts, and weakens priestly communion, reducing the reach and effectiveness of evangelization.

“We must overcome the temptation of self‑referentiality, which generates overwork and dispersion, in order to work together more.”

Priests should foster collaboration and coordination between neighbouring parishes; pool charisms, plan together, and avoid overlapping initiatives as an expression of priestly communion.

4. Neglecting proximity to young people

Not listening to or entering the real lives of youth—many of whom “live without any reference to God and the Church”—means missing the primary pastoral opportunity of accompaniment.

“Many of them – as we know – ‘live without any reference to God and the Church’ … we can listen to young people, be present for them, welcome them, and share a little of their lives.”

Priests should go out to meet young people (sport, art, culture, street outreach); build human friendship and sustained accompaniment that can lead to encounter with Jesus.

5. Weak personal prayer life and outsourcing homilies (including AI)

A superficial prayer life and the temptation to use shortcuts (e.g., preparing homilies with artificial intelligence) undermine authentic witness and the priest’s capacity to share faith from personal encounter.

“I invite you to resist the temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence! … to give a true homily, which is to share the faith, AI will never be able to share the faith!”

Priests should cultivate a deep daily life of prayer and ongoing study; prepare homilies from personal prayer and reflection so preaching springs from friendship with Jesus.

6. Envy, gossip and clerical jealousy (invidia clericalis)

Clerical envy and gossip fracture fraternity, create factions, and turn confreres into rivals rather than brothers in ministry.

“It is called the invidia clericalis … then relationships are broken; and not only that, but also with gossip, criticizing, talking… It destroys instead of seeing how to build bonds.”

Priests should promote regular fraternal gatherings (prayer, study, shared meals), take initiative to build friendships, and form trusted groups for mutual support and accountability.

7. Seeking popularity on social media (vanity and deception online)

Chasing followers, likes, or personal popularity on platforms like TikTok can become a form of vanity and deception that distracts from transmitting Christ’s message.

“This is often a deception on the internet, on TikTok, and we want to be ourselves: ‘I have so many followers, so many likes…’. It is not you: if we are not transmitting the message of Jesus Christ, perhaps we are mistaken.”

Priests should use social media as a tool for authentic evangelization, not self‑promotion; prioritize prayerful witness, humility, and content that transmits the Gospel rather than metrics-driven popularity.