Zuppi scrive ai preti bolognesi

12PORTE - November 6, 2025: A long letter to the priests. After announcing the names of the new Vicars General and the Episcopal Council, the Cardinal decides to address the priests of Bologna once again, following the moments they have already shared during the three-day clergy retreat and the celebration of the cathedral's dedication. The Archbishop invites them to renew the style of our Church and the quality of priestly life. Zuppi thanks the vicars who have finished their service, with whom he shared decisions and responsibilities, acknowledging their dedication and the good they have sown over time. The diocesan pastor does not hide the difficulties that mark pastoral life today: many priests experience fatigue, discouragement, sometimes bitterness and mistrust. There are hurts, misunderstandings, and even some mutual distances. The Cardinal openly states that this pains him, and asks for forgiveness if, on any occasion, anyone has felt hurt by his words or attitudes. Some "absences sadden me," he writes, referring to the disinterest of some priests in moments of diocesan life, warning against self-promotion, judgment, personal interests, and the temptation to "withdraw" from communion. "I know there are wounds and difficulties among us;," he writes, "let's not pretend they don't exist. But the way forward is to find each other, listen to each other, support each other, renew mutual trust. Communion is stronger than any misunderstanding." This sincerity is not intended to highlight problems, but to point to a path: to rediscover enthusiasm and the beauty of vocation. We live in complex times, marked by loneliness, fragility, and war. Furthermore, we are experiencing the end of so-called "Christianity," in which faith is no longer taken for granted. But for Zuppi, this is not a decline: it is an opportunity to return to the essentials, to put the Word of God, the Eucharist, and fraternal relationships back at the center. The Church, he says, must be a welcoming home, free from self-promotion, personal interests, and adversarial logic. A home where we listen to one another with truth and charity, where decisions are born of true brotherhood. For this reason, he invites us to support with closeness and prayer the new Vicars and leaders called to serve the diocese. Zuppi also expresses a concrete and personal desire: to meet with every priest at least once a year, not only and not so much to address problems, but simply to share the joy of communion. He asks us not to shy away from this relationship, because it is there that the Church is built. Looking to the Jubilee, he invites us to live this time as a time of hope. He entrusts the journey to the saints of the Church of Bologna and to the Spirit who always renews the mission. The final message is simple and strong: communion is greater than any effort. If we put Christ back at the center, we will rediscover the strength and joy of being priests today, in the Church and for the city.