Abstract
In the thought of Benedict XVI, the identity of the priesthood is centered on the Eucharist. Through the exploration of Benedict’s writings and homilies most concerned with the priesthood in connection with the Eucharist, this thesis demonstrates how the identity of the priest is informed by the Eucharist. The priest’s close relationship to the Eucharist calls for a unique and radical configuration to Christ; and celibacy, humility, and obedience aid in such a configuration. The thesis focuses on a few of Benedict XVI’s works. The first chapter focuses on the post-synodal exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, and expounds upon Benedict’s more magisterial thought on the Eucharist and the priesthood. The second chapter focuses on Benedict’s essay on the “The Church and the Scandal of Sexual Abuse,” and presents his thought concerning the greatest blights on the priesthood in modern times. The third chapter focuses on Benedict XVI’s chapter “The Catholic Priesthood” from the book From the Depths of Our Hearts published, and focuses on the identity of the priest in comparison to the Old Testament Priesthood and in relation to the Eucharist. The fourth chapter focuses on Benedict XVI’s treatment of the priesthood and Eucharist in his homilies, and thematically treats of how the priest’s identity is informed by the Eucharist. The thesis’s conclusion synthesizes Benedict’s thought on the identity of the priest and offers an area for further study concerning the priest’s ontology.