“Priesthood is not a promotion”: Newly Ordained Priests, Deacons Told At Start of New Pastoral Year in CAR

Archbishop Joseph Samedi urged newly ordained priests and deacons in the Archdiocese of Bangui to view their ministry as a total gift of self rather than a personal refuge or a promotion. During the closing Mass of the archdiocesan pastoral year opening session on September 27 at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, the Coadjutor Archbishop warned the nine new ministers against treating ordination as an easy solution to personal problems or an external goal.

The ceremony included the ordination of five priests and four deacons. Archbishop Samedi stated that priestly ministry must be rooted in love for Christ and expressed through service to the people entrusted to the ministers. He encouraged the new priests to become good priests according to the heart of Jesus Christ by drawing strength from their love for their parishioners.

The Archbishop also referenced a November 2025 letter from Pope Leo XIV regarding seminary formation. He noted that seminary life should be a journey of interior correction where candidates allow God to reveal their true motivations through discernment and conversion.