Vera paternitas – true fatherhood: The crisis of our time is a crisis of fatherhood, manifesting in weak, absent, or corrupted men who have abandoned their God-given responsibilities. Society, the Church, and families suffer because men have forsaken self-mastery, discipline, and leadership, either indulging in toxic machismo or submitting to emasculated passivity. True fatherhood, as exemplified by St. Joseph, requires sacrificial love, unwavering responsibility, and spiritual authority—whether in the home, in the priesthood, or in a young man’s formation. Fathers must lead their families in holiness, priests must act as true spiritual fathers, and young men must train themselves in fortitude, self-reliance, and virtue. The corruption within the Church, particularly clerical abuse, is a direct result of compromised shepherds failing to guard their flock. The restoration of fatherhood will not come through mere words but through action, with men embracing their divine mission through perseverance, duty, and trust in God. Now is the time to reclaim true fatherhood, to protect the family, to renew the Church, and to stand as men formed in the likeness of St. Joseph.
Vera Paternitas – Pastoral Epistle for St Joseph
