Interview: Cardinal Nemet of Belgrade on faith and burnout

One of the most enjoyable people I met during the two sessions of the Synod on Synodality in Rome, in October of 2023 and 2024, was Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, the archbishop of Belgrade. To be honest, I’ve never been to Serbia, much less Belgrade, so I didn’t know if then-Archbishop Nemet (he was named a cardinal by Pope Francis during the second session) and I would have much to talk about as tablemates. But he was one of the most joyful, playful and light-hearted people at the synod gathering, and I always looked forward to speaking with him.

One day stands out. One of the jobs that few synod delegates wanted was “secretary,” which required carefully taking notes during all the table conversations. The role was important but time-consuming and a bit grueling, given that you had to come up with an end-of-the-week summary that pleased everyone at the table—no small feat. In any event, at the beginning of one week, I arrived at my table, and Archbishop Nemet joked, “We have already elected you!” I said, “Wait, we haven’t even started voting.” He laughed along with the rest of the delegates at our table, who were just then taking their seats. “No matter! You are elected.” (With his joking encouragement, everyone ended up, not surprisingly, voting for me.) But before the vote, I started to pass out chocolates, which I enjoyed bringing every day for my table. Archbishop Nemet thundered, “You cannot bribe us not to vote for you!”

That’s why I was surprised and moved to hear Cardinal Nemet speak so openly about his experiences with burnout during our podcast. Very few of us are cardinals, but many of us have suffered, are suffering or will suffer from burnout. That’s why many of us will resonate with his practical advice: Surround yourself with people who love you (and will tell you when you need help), and then get professional help. 

Burnout is common for religious folks because they try to do so much good. But that sometimes comes at a price. You can’t help every person in every situation. And there are only so many hours in a day. That’s why I am so glad that Pope Leo has revived the practice of taking a day off (Tuesdays for him), leaving the Vatican and traveling to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, a small town near Rome. Everyone needs a break.

Two pieces of advice have helped me to avoid burnout—so far. The first is something my spiritual director Damian O’Connell, S.J., once said to me. “There is good news and there is better news. The good news is that there is a Messiah. The better news is that it’s not you!” In other words, you’re not Jesus. Stop trying to do everything.

But even Jesus didn’t do everything! And that’s the second piece of advice. Of course Jesus saved all of humanity with his death and resurrection. But during his time on earth, he did not feel the need to do everything. Think of it this way: When he left this earth during the Ascension, there were still sick people in Galilee and Judea. Jesus did not physically heal, meet or preach to everyone. Mostly Jesus dealt with the people in front of him, often one at a time.

And at various times the Gospels say that he “withdrew” from the disciples and the crowds to pray. Of course, the Son most likely wanted to commune with the Father in prayer. But Jesus probably also wanted to avoid burning out.

One of my favorite passages on this came just last week, a description of a “typical day” in Capernaum, early in his public ministry, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark (1:29-3). After Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, casts out demons and prays, some disciples come to tell him, “Everyone is looking for you.”

What does Jesus do? Does he try to take care of “everyone” in Capernaum? No, he has other places to go. And then he leaves Capernaum. He’s still busy of course, but resists the temptation to do everything, and he therefore avoids burnout.