A Catholic archbishop on Tuesday warned priests against clericalism, entitlement, and complacency as church leaders from across Mindanao gathered for a regional clergy assembly in Zamboanga City.
Archbishop Julius Tonel of Zamboanga said clericalism and entitlement undermine the Church’s mission by hardly listening, damaging credibility, and discouraging meaningful participation by lay members of the faithful.
“Clericalism and entitlements lead to failure in listening. These are killers of lay participation,” Tonel said in his homily for the opening Mass of the 47th Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar de Zamboanga.
He urged priests to renew their commitment to humility, obedience, and service, saying synodality requires conversion rather than authority or institutional privilege.
“Synodality is not about us,” said Tonel, who is also the vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. “Synodal participation is our response in obedience to the very ministry of service that we are gifted.”
He also warned against mediocrity and loss of passion in ministry, saying priests are called to actively proclaim, teach, and engage rather than retreat into comfort.
“Mediocrity is to lose the passion in active service,” he said, calling obedience “a call to conversion.”
The archbishop criticized material comfort and personal wealth, urging clergy to embrace simplicity to better serve the poor and marginalized communities.
“The joy of the ministry is not in having so much personal wealth; or fancy cars, or being comfortable,” Tonel said. “Simplicity, frugality, honesty, and fidelity make us leaders with integrity.”
He described poverty, chastity, and obedience as pathways toward synodality, linking priestly life to justice, charity, and credible witness.
The Feb. 10 to 12 gathering was described as a homecoming for bishops and clergy from 18 dioceses across Mindanao, with the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, founded in 1910, regarded as the region’s mother church.
Tonel also invoked Mary as a model for unity, prayer, and listening, urging priests to walk together with faith, hope, and renewed commitment.
