What is the Roman Catholic Churchs view of the unique nature of its priests?
The unique gift of the priesthood in the Catholic Church is the fact that it is an institution which began with Christ and the 12 apostles – his first priests – and through the laying on of hands, or ordination, that unique gift has been transmitted in the Catholic Church for 2,000 years. The priest who participates in the very priesthood of Jesus Christ makes present Jesus to the holy people of God as he celebrates the sacraments for them. In your book, you write about the different understandings of the priestly role among those ordained before Vatican II and priests ordained after the historic council. How have each of these differing perceptions affected the priesthood and is either correct on its own, or should the understanding be a combination of both? The question is really about confusion that happened after the Second Vatican Council amongst the priests and laity. The council highlighted in a particular way the priesthood of all of the faithful, which is a beautiful doctrine
