The principle of the Church as Communion, as affirmed by the Second Vatican Council and successive documents of the Catholic Magisterium, responds to the needs of today and can rightly arouse enthusiasm among young priests. At the same time, however, it is not without its difficulties, because it requires them to work not only in unity with their bishops, but also with the laity, which means priests must be a listeners, a difficult task due to both a lack of formation in dialogue, and to traditional ways of working.
In this regard I can offer many experiences, for during my exile, when the government forbad me to exercise my ministry; I belonged to clandestine groups of lay people which they themselves led, where the exercise of leadership on my part would have been politically more dangerous. I was therefore “forced” to learn how to dialogue, and I discovered its enormous importance for building communion.
Card. Miloslav Vlk
Spiritualità del sacerdote diocesano
Gen’s 26 (1996) p. 13