Why do American priests always assume the Pope is criticizing them?

Wondering out loud.

I watched EWTN World Over Live with Raymond Arroyo last night.  Arroyo was agitated and acted like he was responding to personal attacks from the Holy Father.  The 'Posse' were discussing the presser on board the flight from Mozambique, especially this part:

Furthermore, I would like to emphasize an attitude that I do not like, because it does not come from God: rigidity. Today it is fashionable, I do not know about here, but in other parts of the world it is fashionable, to find rigid people. Young, rigid priests, who want to save with rigidity, perhaps, I don’t know, but they take this attitude of rigidity and sometimes – excuse me – from the museum. They are afraid of everything, they are rigid. Be careful, and know that under any rigidity there are serious problems. - Vatican

I am sad when popular priests such as Monsignor Pope, Fr. Murray (papal posse guy), Fr. Z, Fr. Blake, and numerous others all seem to take what the Pope says as if he is insulting them.  I'm not a priest so I can't speak for them.   I just don't believe the Pope is bullying or mean-spirited when he says such things.  It seems to me if I felt insulted, maybe there is something I need to loosen up over.  I do not believe the Pope is asking the priests to dispense with any rules or discipline, much less giving them the go ahead to stop teaching and ministering according to Catholic teaching.  Neither do I get the impression he is trying to outlaw the Extraordinary Form of Mass.  Yet many priests and laity are convinced he is, and it seems their minds are made up that every precaution from the Pope is directed against them.

Not judging.

I don't know the mind of the Pope, but even if he was speaking directly to me, I think I would examine myself and move on - following Christ.  But I'm not a priest, and I maybe don't get it.  To be sure, it's not my place to criticize those who feel slighted.  I would hope they could somehow take their concerns directly to the Pope - I think the Holy Father would embrace them with great love - humbled by their humility.

That said, at my parish we have a young, dynamic priest.  He loves being a priest.  He's solid, 'orthodox', faithful, and devout.  Not a speck of rigidity.  If the Holy Father met him, he would surely say something akin to what Christ said about Nathaniel, 'here is a true Israelite, in him there is no guile.'  At least one divorced and remarried couple came back to the sacraments, inspired by Pope Francis, and guided by our pastor.  The woman spoke about it this past Lent.  I mention it because this priest has also felt a bit bewildered by things the Pope says, yet he continues to minister and reach out to those on the peripheries.  He's a priest who smells like his sheep.  If the Pope met him, he would fall all over him.

If the Pope met Monsignor Pope or Fr. Murray he would most likely do the same thing.

The Pope with the relics of St. Pio and St. Leopold.

These saints are examples the Holy Father holds up.

He certainly doesn't condemn Pio as rigid.

So what is a rigid priest?

When the Pope warns against them, he frequently identifies them as young, newly ordained.  In the past couple of decades, the guys in my diocese are well trained and orthodox, and I don't know any who are 'rigid' - not even the more traditional Bishop Cozzens can be considered rigid.

Over the years, being a big fat sinner, because I went to confession frequently, I have met priests who are rigid.   A few of these are no longer priests - one or two had something to hide, I think.  In my experience a rigid priest is often best discovered in the confessional, or in the office -  often when Catholics who don't go to Mass show up seeking baptism for their newborn, or want to get married.

A friend of mine, shortly after ordination discussed with me, people who came to the rectory seeking a marriage blessing, an infant baptism, even though they weren't practicing Catholics.  I recall being shocked that he refused baptism to one family because they didn't go to Mass.  Opinionated as I was, I told him he should have them call me because I knew priests who would do it.  It was one of our first fights.  He let me know in no uncertain terms just exactly what he was taught in seminary and what was the discipline of the Church.  (He mellowed as he aged BTW.)

Another priest friend of mine refused to allow a couple have their marriage blessed because, as a civilly married couple they already lived together and would have to live separately before the sacrament of matrimony.  I asked why, and he looked at me like I was nuts and told me, 'It's a scandal.  They need to live chastely, I don't trust they can do that."  I told him about couples I knew who lived as brother and sister because one had been divorced, as well as friends who lived with each other without sexual relations, and so on.  Nope.  Too scandalous.

As for my own experience, as a kid I was yelled at in confession, and the entire church heard the priest when he shouted: "You're going straight to hell if you do that again!"  Another time, as an adult a newly ordained priest questioned me, "Why would you even do that?!"  Then he told me to go to the office and get a pamphlet on how to make a good confession, because I said more than I needed to - in other words, he wanted just the sins, number and kind.  Around the same time I ran into a priest in the adoration chapel, and as he was leaving I asked him to please hear my confession as I was in mortal sin, he dismissed me telling me when confessions were scheduled at the parish.   As a penitent I received these rebukes with in peace, taking them to heart with a deeper sense of contrition.  I only mention these situations to shed some light on what I think the Pope may be talking about regarding rigidity.

I may be wrong.  It's not my place to criticize a priest for how he feels after something the Pope has cautioned against.  So I have to let this stuff go, simply because it none of my business.  As Today's Gospel says:

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? - Luke 6

The holier, more prayerful the priest, the less rigid will he be.

I love this ... the official text from the Apostolic Trip of Pope Francis to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius...

In this document I see no “alarming manifestation of the confusion, error and division which beset the Church in our day.”

Furthermore, I would like to emphasize an attitude that I do not like, because it does not come from God: rigidity. Today it is fashionable, I do not know about here, but in other parts of the world it is fashionable, to find rigid people. Young, rigid priests, who want to save with rigidity, perhaps, I don’t know, but they take this attitude of rigidity and sometimes – excuse me – from the museum. They are afraid of everything, they are rigid. Be careful, and know that under any rigidity there are serious problems.

This effort must also extend to the vast world of the lay faithful. They too are sent out to the harvest, called to cast their nets and devote their time to their own apostolate, which “in all its many aspects, is exercised both in the Church and in the world” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 9). In all its breadth, its problems and its varied situations, the world is the specific area of the apostolate where they are called, with generosity and a sense of responsibility, to bring the leaven of the Gospel. For this reason, I express my appreciation for all those initiatives that you have undertaken as pastors to provide training for lay men and women – thank you for this – and not to leave them alone in their mission to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In this way they will be able to contribute to the transformation of society and the life of the Church in Madagascar. 

And please, make sure you do not clericalize the laity. Lay faithful are lay faithful. I heard, in my previous Diocese, proposals like this: “My Lord Bishop, I have a wonderful lay person in the parish: he works hard, he organizes everything ... should we ordain him a deacon?”. Leave him there, don’t ruin his life, let him remain a lay person. And speaking of deacons, deacons often have the temptation of clericalism; they see themselves as presbyters or pseudo-bishops ... No! The deacon is the custodian of service in the Church. Please do not keep deacons at the altar: let them do their work outside, in service. If they have to go on a mission to baptize, let them baptize: it’s ok. But in service, let them not be pseudo-priests. - Apostolic Trip of Pope Francis to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius

And yet traditionalists are shaking in their boots over the Amazon Synod.

I read a claim somewhere that Pope Francis approved of deacons celebrating Mass in the Amazon.  He just said - very clearly in this very document: "And speaking of deacons, deacons often have the temptation of clericalism; they see themselves as presbyters or pseudo-bishops ... No! The deacon is the custodian of service in the Church. Please do not keep deacons at the altar: let them do their work outside, in service. If they have to go on a mission to baptize, let them baptize: it’s ok. But in service, let them not be pseudo-priests."

I think it was the com box of Church Militant where the subject of married priests for the Amazon arose - one woman said it was 'an abomination which will surely call down fire from heaven'.  Another said 'the pope is possessed'.  These people aren't rigid?  These people aren't driven by fear?  These people aren't tainted by ideology?

It seems to me a synod is a place to discuss these things - the pope wants to allow everything to be brought to the table - in the open - to discuss, dialogue.  A few cardinals and archbishops are telling Catholics the Pope is out to make a new Church.  They are fear mongers.