The fundamental munus of the ministerial priesthood in John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger and Walter Kasper

The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) was the first extraordinary Magisterium to use the theological formula of the threefold of office (triplex munus) of Christ (Priest, Prophet, King) to explain the ministerial priesthood. It triggered a theological search for the foundational job of the priesthood from which all other priestly duties take their bearing: Is it sanctification through the sacraments, proclamation of the word, or governance of the people of God? In other words, is it theologically possible and justifiable to attribute a certain primacy/priority to any of these three dimensions of the priestly life and duty? This research is an attempt to find the answer by studying the contributions of three authors from the theological field, each advocating for one of the three offices.

Fr. C. V. Uwandu-Uzoma is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu in Nigeria. He had his philosophical studies in Nigeria and Rome, and his theological studies in Austria and Germany. His areas of interest are Dogmatic Theology and African Church History.