French priests will exercise a more itinerant ministry, leading bishop believes

July 03, 2019

The new president of the Bishops’ Conference of France told the Vatican newspaper that as the number of priests continues to decline, priests will exercise a more itinerant ministry, largely free from the burdens of parish administration.

Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, 57, was appointed Archbishop of Reims last year. He said that of his 79 archdiocesan priests, only 27 are under 70 and seven are under 50.

“I am thinking of a more itinerant ministry, modeled on past missions,” he said, as he spoke of priests in pickup trucks. “Maybe spend a couple of weeks in one place, then somewhere else.”

 

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Further information:

• Un ministero più itinerante (L'Osservatore Romano,, p. 6)