The University of Navarra will celebrate on September 15 and 16 the VII conference of update Pastoral of the School of Theology, addressed to priests of the different Spanish dioceses, to analyze the current challenges of priestly life.

Miguel Brugarolas, director of the conference, stresses that in order to make Jesus Christ known the mission statement of priests is more necessary than ever: "Pope Francis has recently exhorted priests to be grateful for the divine gift of vocation so that this gratitude 'awakens praise and encourages us once again in the mission statement of anointing our brothers in hope'".

In this sense, Professor Brugarolas emphasizes that the conference will be an occasion for meeting and for reflection on the challenges that priestly life and ministry present today. The approach of the sessions will be fundamentally practical, and will seek at all times to encourage dialogue among the participants.

Miguel Ponce Cuéllar, of the Archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz, will be in charge of opening the course on Tuesday, September 15, with a discussion paper entitled "The identity of the priest in a liquid world". And Monsignor José Ignacio Munilla, Bishop of San Sebastián, will close the conference on Wednesday, September 16 with a lecture entitled "The God who rejoices my youth: Prayer and the Eucharist in the life of the priest".

Two conference with experiences and proposals

The first of the three panels of meeting will focus on "Keeping the priestly life young". It will be moderated by Lucas Buch, professor at the School of Theology and will include the participation of Miguel de Salis, professor at the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce (Rome), who will speak on "Itineraries of integration between knowledge and feeling" as a way of approaching the intellectual life of the priest; and Daniel Granada, professor at the University of Navarra, who will present his discussion paper on "Priestly friendship and fraternity: life and form of the mission statement".

The second panel will focus on "Balance and psychological health of the priest" and will be moderated by Pablo Martí, professor at the University of Navarra. discussion paper M arian Rojas Estapé, a psychiatrist from high school Español de Investigaciones Psiquiátricas in Madrid, will speak on "Expectations, frustration, maturity"; and Dr. Carlos Chiclana, a psychiatrist and professor at the CEU-San Pablo University in Madrid, will speak on "The affectivity of the priest: challenges, risks and opportunities".

"Some experiences on the care of priestly life" will be the focus of the third panel, which will be moderated by Miguel Brugarolas. Javier Vilanova, President of the seminar Mayor Interdiocesano de Catalunya, will speak about the beginning of priestly life after seminar; Gil González, vicar of the Clergy in the Archdiocese of Madrid, whose discussion paper will be degree scroll "The care of priests from the diocese"; and Antonio Cobo, pastor of the Inmaculada Concepción de Adra de Almería, whose session will focus on some experiences of the priest to carry out his life and ministry in the XXI century.