A priest must be entirely for God

“A priest must be entirely for God ... For this the Church clothes him in a long tunic … The priest’s cassock must show that the consecrated minister has almost no body and is turned to God with all his heart, seeking only the salvation of souls. Now, if the priest’s cassock has a worldly cut, if  his head is styled fashionably with fringes and even perfumed curls, if under a scanty soutane you can see trousers … what then can a Priest represent for his people?  That kind of exteriority does not favour him, and in itself is a very evident sign of too little spirituality and scarce renunciation of the world. …  If he dresses fashionably, he extinguishes his light and shows himself far from the soul’s race towards God.”

(From “In the radius of the greatness of the priestly life” by Dain Cohenel [pseudonym of Don Dolindo Ruotolo] published 1940)

[Source]

Translation: Contributor Francesca Romana

The power of the cassock at all times: "My brother, pass me the ball!"

Agence France Presse's photographer Fabrice Coffrini wanted some special football/soccer images now that the quadrennial world tournament of the sport is at hand. He found them in Écône (Riddes, Valais, Switzerland), at the International Seminary of Saint Pius X.

RIDDES (Switzerland), June 3, 2014 [AFP] - The Society of Saint Pius X is a traditionalist Catholic society founded by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre. They are known above all for their ultra-conservative positions and their disagreements with the Vatican. They are less known for their football talents.

Every Sunday, the priests and future priests of the Society seminary in Écône, Switzerland, rest at the end of an intense week of studies and prayer. Some go hiking, others play basketball, still others play football. They always practice their sporting activities in cassock because, for traditionalists, a priest must keep his distinctive habit in all life circumstances in order to show that, "he lives in the world without being of the world"... But cleats are tolerated.

It has been several years that I wanted to photograph them. As the football World Cup approaches, it was the ideal moment. After having easily obtained the agreement of the seminary, I went to the Valais to watch the Sunday match at Riddes, the neighboring village to Écône.

The field is located below an overpass. Many drivers who pass by honk at the sight of the unusual display of these priests in cassocks running after a ball. But, other than them, there is no public. There is also no referee (other than God, naturally).

The match is very physical, the players tackle and collide as in any other football match. The only difference, other than the outfit, is the language. No name-calling, no cursing, no altercation other than at offsides or fouls. The players use the vous [formal 2nd person] and remain very polite amongst themselves: "My brother, pass me [passez-moi] the ball!"

At halftime, I would like to take a posed picture of all seminarians while raising their arms enthusiastically, as a regular team. But they refused. Even on a soccer field, the cassock compels a demeanor...

[Image above by Fabrice Coffrini for AFP hosted at original website. The complete set of images available at the original post, available in French here.]

The Cassock

From what used to be, until 1991, the official daily of the Italian Communist Party, L'Unità, founded by Antonio Gramsci in 1924:

The Cassock

The Church has been for quite some time strenuously defending herself from a media-driven movement that has turned on the lights on the phenomenon of the erotic activities and aberrations of the clergy. And it is not only about the horrors of pedophilia, but also red-light feasts, orgies, and clandestine sorties of every kind. Abandoning the cassock and wearing civilian clothes, many priests have gone from the sacred onto the secular in no time. I ask a friend who writes for this paper, Father Filippo Di Giacomo, if it would not be more appropriate, for him and for his jolly colleagues, to renounce walking around in civilian clothes and go back to wearing the long habit of the priest. It would not be embarrassing to wear it, on the contrary, it would be a sign of respect for the Catholic community and would even have the power of eliminating any ambiguity. It is hard to recognize a priest from a fellow in a shirt: we are in the presence of a deception, at least at the semiotic level. My friend Di Giacomo should throw his "lay" habits out of the window and launch an appeal to all priests in the world that it be forbidden to wear anything except for two cassocks: one of wool for winter, and one of cotton for summer. This will certainly not deter the truly possessed from eros, but will keep at bay the profusion of numerous, small daily corruptions. It is said, in general, that "l'abito non fa il monaco" ["the habit does not a monk make"], but it is not thus for the Church: the habit must make the monk. Catholicism, as other religions, lives off of symbols, of rites, of chastity, of foundational and unrenounceable values, of faithfulness to doctrine, of rigorous obedience to priestly rules. The cassock, at the simple sight, conveys to us all this: much spirit and little flesh. A priest who replaces his cassock with plain clothes gives up the spirit, as it were.  

August 15, 2011 [Vincenzo Cerami]

[Tip: Katholisches.info, via Introibo.net. / Image: Eugenio Pacelli, Seminarian - source. / The article's author, Vincenzo Cerami, is probably the most famous living Italian screenwriter.]