When I first came to Spain, the very first day Father Placido our 90 year old Parish Priest came to say mass in the tiny little Chapel of rest at the bottom of my field, dedicated to Our Lady. But one of my neighbours said, 'He is only doing it for the money!'. This threw me a little and I wondered if it might be true. But I have been here over a year now and have come to understand that the Father is a deeply holy and dedicated man whom I admire deeply. But it reminded me how even a slight word of slander can do so much harm. There was a man who came to St Phillip Neri one time to confession and admitted a slander. As a penance who made the man take a dead chicken and scatter its feathers all over the streets of Rome and return. When he did so he told the man to collect the scattered feathers. The man said that this was impossible. The saint said that this was the same with slander. It is impossible to undo the harm it causes. Priests are the apples of God's eyes. We much be careful what we say about them. 2476 False witness and perjury. When it is made publicly, a statement contrary to the truth takes on a particular gravity. In court it becomes false witness.275 When it is under oath, it is perjury. Acts such as these contribute to condemnation of the innocent, exoneration of the guilty, or the increased punishment of the accused.276 They gravely compromise the exercise of justice and the fairness of judicial decisions. 2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.277 He becomes guilty: - of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor; - of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;278 - of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them. 2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. and if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.279 2479 Detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one's neighbor. Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Thus, detraction and calumny offend against the virtues of justice and charity.
I remember in Ireland we had a priest who was quite rich. He had his own farm and owned several race horses and was always of to the Race Meetings. But he was a very good priest and a really lovely man. Archbishop Vigano comes from one of the richest industrialist families in Italy. I recall Our Lady of Good Counsel did not condemn Catholics in our day who have loads of money for having money. She condemned them for not using some of it to help the Church.
Stay with us and with our priests, LORD JESUS. Let’s remember all priests and consecrated souls (be they good, bad, indifferent, and/or suffering) in our prayers, particularly when doing a holy hour, whether in an Adoration chapel or at home. Peaceful Eucharistic adoration songs
With every Rosary i have started praying those three Hail Mary's at the beginning for all priests bishops cardinals and all consecrated souls living and dead. That is my base line. I try to pray for certain priests and bishops in a special way too. The first Our Father is always for the Holy Father which is traditional.
I would say at least 90% of the priests I ever met were very holy. Some of them saintly. I remain very positive about them all. The Bishops however. Well they stay silent when they should have been speaking out.
