Preparing Seminarians for the Ministry of the Word in Light of Verbum Domini

Although Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini (VD) is extremely rich, its length and encyclopedic nature can make it hard to distinguish the essential points. Leaving to others the Pope’s important teaching on hermeneutics and the relationship of exegesis to theology, I see five points in the Holy Father’s teaching that have practical implications for forming seminarians for the ministry of the word. First, the Holy Father prioritizes the ministry of the word in the life of a priest, quoting St. John Paul II’s teaching in Pastores dabo vobis (PDV): The priest is first of all a minister of the