A high-ranking Vatican official has put his finger on a big problem with the modern priesthood:

The prefect of the Congregation for Religious has lamented that many Catholic priests are neglecting their duties under the pressure of conforming to secular culture.

In a February 14 interview with the Italian ANSA news agency, Cardinal Franc Rode said that priests today tend to be less obedient to the Church and more responsive to the world. He cited reluctance to wear clerical dress as a symptom of this trend.

“A drift towards bourgeois values and moral relativism are the two great dangers that weaken religious life,” said the Slovenian cardinal. “The biggest problem today is the climate of secularization– present not only in Western society but also within the Church itself.”

Cardinal Rode said that young people continue to hear God’s call to a vocation in the priesthood or religious life. But he suggested that a lax model of priestly or religious life is not likely to encourage vocations. As evidence the cardinal pointed to the young Catholics who are attracted to contemplative life in highly disciplined religious orders. “They are attracted because it is a radical life choice,” he said.

He has a point, especially when you read news like this in the American press.

Not to mention this little nugget, which broke last week.