Letter 1505: The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.

What did God say to Ezekiel? "If you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness, the wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but you will have delivered your own soul." For by keeping silent and not speaking boldly, you share, he says, in the punishment of the wrongdoer. I have said before, and I say again: the duty of the teacher is to teach, the duty of the prophet is to warn. Whether the hearer obeys or disobeys, the one who speaks is freed from guilt. But the one who sees evil and says nothing, who witnesses injustice and keeps silence, who knows the truth and hides it — that person bears the blood of the sinner on his own head. This is a terrifying responsibility, and it applies not only to bishops and priests but to every Christian who has knowledge of the truth and opportunity to speak it. Silence may seem safe, but it is the most dangerous of all courses, for it purchases temporary peace at the price of eternal condemnation.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΣΜΘ΄. – ΠΑΥΛΩ σμούς· τἱ γὰρ ἔφη ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἰεζεκιήλ ; « Καὶ σὗ ἐὰν διαστείλῃ τῷ ἀνόμῳ, καὶ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας αὐτοῦ ὁ ἄνομος, ἐν τῇ ἀνομίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖται· σὺ δὲ τὴν ψυχήνίσου ῥύσῃ.» Σιωπῶν μὲν γὰρ, καὶ μὴ παῤῥησιαζόμενος, κοινωνεῖς ἐκείνῳ, φησὶ, τῆς τιμωρίας. Προείρηκα γὰρ,· Ἐὰν μὴ διαστείλῃ, τὸ · αἷμααὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου ἐκζητήσω.» Τὰ περὶ (84) σαυτοῦ δὲ εἰσφέρων ἀπαλλάττῃ τῆς καταδίκης. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀργαλεωτέρα γενήσεται ἡ κόλασις, μηδὲ τὴν σὴν παραδεξαμένῳ παραίνεσιν. Σὺ δὲ τὸ κελευσθὲν διαπραξάμενος, ἀνεύθυνος ἔσῃ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τοῦ διδασκάλου ἐστὶν, ἢ ἄληπτον παρέχοντα τὸν βίον παιδεύειν, μηδαμῶς αἰδούμενον τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων τὴν ἀξιοπιστίαν. Τὸ δὲ πράττειν ἢ μὴ, τῆς τῶν μαθητευομένων ἤρτηται γνώμης, παντί τε καὶ πανταχοῦ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου φυλαττομένου. Εἰ δὲ φαίης· Πῶς οὖν ὁ Παῦλος τὸν πεπορνευκότα ἀπεῖρξε ; μείζον ἢ ἐγὼ βούλομαι λέγεις· οὐ γὰρ ἐτύπτησεν ἢ ὅόρισεν, ἀλλ' ἐχώρισε τῆς ἀγέλης, ἵνα μὴ καὶ εἰς τὰ λοιπὰ πρόβατα τὸ λοιμώδες διαδοθῇ νόσημα. Εἰ δὲ πάλιν φαίης· Πῶς οὖν ὁ Ἡλεὶ νουθετήσας, καὶ μὴ ἀνύσας δέδωκε δίκην, φήσαιμι, ὅτι παντὶ μὲν σθένει ἐπὶ παίδων καὶ ἱερέων χρὴ καὶ ἐπεξιέναι, καὶ κωλύειν τῆς ἀγιστείας, καὶ ἐξ ὅψεως ποιεῖν, καὶ ἀποχειροτονεῖν· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν εἰς τὸ θεῖον ἡ ὕβρις διαβαίνῃ. Διὸ καὶ προσέκρουσεν· ἐχρῆν γὰρ αὐτὸν μὴ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος εἶναι φιλόπαιδα, ἀλλὰ τοῖς θείοις νόμοις ἐπαμῦναι ὑβριζομένοις. Ποτὲ δέ τις ἀπολογήσασθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ βουληθεὶς ἔφη, ὅτι φαίνεται οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸς δίκην δοὺς τοσοῦτον, ὅσον οἱ παῖδες - ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ὀργῆς ἐπιπολασάσης θείας, αἰσχρῶς καὶ ἐλεεινῶς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ ἀπέθανον, οὗτος δὲ μετὰ γῆρας βαθὺ ἐν τῇ πόλει · καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ ἀπόφασις, εἰ τὰς θείας τις συλλαβάς περιεργάσοιτο, φαίνεται οὐ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τοῦ οἴκου όρισθεῖσα· « Ώμοσα γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ οἴκῳ Ἡλεὶ, εi ἐξιλάτεται ἁμαρτία οἴκου Ἡλεὶ, ἢ ἐν θυμιάμασιν, ἢ ἐν θυσίαις, ἕως αἰῶνος. Οὐκ εἶπε, φησὶν, Ώμοσα τῷ Ἡλεί· οὐδ᾽, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐξιλάσεται ἁμαρτία Ἡλεὶ (ἦρκεσε γὰρ αὐτῷ ἴσως πρὸς σωφρονισμὸν ταύτης μόνης τῆς ἀμελείας· τὰ γὰρ ἄλλα ἦν θαυμαστός· τὰ τῇδεαὐτῷ συμβεβηκόταζάνιαρὰ) ἀλλὰ ᾿Οἴκῳ 'Ηλεί· ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάντως τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας ἀπολέσθαι χρή. Εἰ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ μετέστησεν εἰς ἑτέραν συγγένειαν τὴν ἱερωσύνην, λέγοι τις · Εἶπεν ὁ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἀναδεξάμενος, ὅτι εἰκότως. Τοὺς γὰρ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ γεννήτορος καταπεφρονηκότων τεχθέντας, οὐκ ἔτι ἐχρῆν ἱερᾶσθαι.