Coffee with a priest who doubted out loud

Clergy candour

Key moment: I expected performance holiness; he ordered coffee like a person. We talked about pilgrimage trends, Instagram, sincerity. He admitted irritation and grace in the same sentence.

1. He said doubt visited him at altars too—not only in pilgrims. I exhaled relief. Authority figures who confess uncertainty give the rest of us oxygen.

2. We disagreed kindly about ritual; we agreed about kindness. Coffee cooled; respect warmed.

3. Parishioners waved; he shifted to pastor mode seamlessly, then winked at me after—humanity intact.

I left with fewer answers, more companionship in questioning. Faith sometimes looks like shared shrugs over foam.

If you meet clergy on the Camino, risk honest dialogue. Robes cover shoulders, not entire souls.

If you meet clergy on the Camino, risk honest dialogue. Robes cover shoulders, not entire souls.