The Waiting Room

The pope told the nuncios, those who pick priests to be bishops in each country, that the pope does not want careerists.  He wants men with pastoral experience, who also have compassion in their pastorate.  What a conundrum for all those priests who work in administrative offices in chanceries, or outside of parishes, who have little or no pastoral background, and little compassion for the real problems of people outside of the rules and laws.  These fellows usually have canon law degrees and avoid parish work.  In the chancery they will be seen by the bishop.  They may get to live in Rome and study some more and be seen by some important prelates.  They are on the wrong train, and it may be too late to get off, or they may not want to work in parishes with messy laity.  Their chancery and/or administrative job has become a permanent waiting room.  Well, many of them kept laity waiting.  What goes around comes around.