Call No Man Father

Catholic priests are called “father” even though Jesus warned his disciples not to call any man on Earth their father. Some people read Jesus’ words out of context and assume that He taught that no man should ever be called father.

Jesus also warned against calling anyone rabbi or master. If Jesus meant for his words to be taken literally, then calling a person rabbi, master, teacher, mister, or doctor would also not be allowed.

Jesus was not concerned with vocabulary but He was warning against putting anyone in the place of God the Father. He used hyperbole to call attention to the pride and hypocrisy of those who were seeking lofty titles at that time.

Referring to religious leaders as fathers is supported by Sacred Scripture. Both the Old and New Testaments refer to many men as father, even if they had no biological relationship with each other or children of their own.

The practice of calling priests father gained popularity following the monastic tradition of calling the leader of the monastery abbot, from the word abba, which means father.

When a priest is ordained, he becomes a spiritual father for the entire community surrounding his church. He lives out his vocation in imitation of Jesus Who came to serve and not to be served.

As spiritual fathers, Catholic bishops and priests share in Jesus’ authority, teaching, and guidance. The Bishop of Rome is called the Holy Father as well as pope, from the Italian word for poppa.

The men who guided, defended, and disciplined the early Church are also called fathers. The Fathers of the Church accepted the Gospel and the teaching of the Apostles, faithfully handing them down to the generations who followed.

Like the ideal father who selflessly cares for his children by leading, protecting, and providing, the spiritual fatherhood of a Catholic priest should reflect this same sacrifice and service without seeking honor or power.

I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Therefore, I urge you, be imitators of me.
1 Corinthians 4: 14-16

A title that evokes the image of a caring person:

Breaking In The Habit

Fathers help their children learn and grow:

Diocese of Springfield in Illinois

Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the Father.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1549

A special relationship based on natural fatherhood:

Life Teen

Priests give new life in a spiritual sense:

St. Philip Institute

Therefore let this meeting with you today in front of the upper room of our history, the history of the Church and of the nation, be above all, a prayer to obtain the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As once my father placed a little book in my hand and pointed out to me the prayer to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so today I, who am also called “Father” by you, wish to pray with the university students of Warsaw and of Poland:
— for the gift of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety (that is to say the sense of the sacred value of life, of human dignity, of the sanctity of the human body and soul) and, finally, for the gift of the fear of God, of which the Psalmist says that it is the beginning of wisdom.
Receive from me this prayer that my father taught me, and remain faithful to it. You will thus stay in the upper room of the Church, united with the deepest stream of its history.
Pope John Paul II, Homily, 3 June 1979