A priest of foreign origin, in priestly vestments, raises the host at the bottom of a Romanesque vault.
The church of this lower Vendée countryside resisted the demonstrative piety of the faithful of the 19th century.
In all the surrounding villages, the old stones, which had survived the Revolution, were dismantled to build a more modern church.
After communion, the abbot reads the week's announcements and stumbles over several words.
“We never understand anything
,” grumbles an old man.
“Be kind
,” his wife affectionately lectures him.
The husband mumbles several incomprehensible words that combine nostalgia and a touch of superiority.
A funny scene, but revealing of the change in the French ecclesial landscape.
The Church in France now uses Fidei Donum
priests
(gift of Faith in Latin).
This name is taken from an encyclical by Pope Pius XII, published in 1959, which authorized bishops to
"loan"
diocesan priests to respond to missions abroad.
“Between 2000 and 3000 foreign priests are present in France
,” underlines Father Élie Delplace, coordinator of a cell which welcomes foreign priests within the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF).
They respond to a drastic reduction in French vocations.
“The most beautiful kingdom after that of Heaven”
, in the words of Grotius, had 41,000 priests in 1960, 20,400 in 2000 and barely more than 10,000 in 2020, including 5000 under the age of 75.
“We are leaving a period where each village had its priest
,” notes Father Delplace.
Gérald Darmanin, during the debates on the immigration law in February 2023, argued that
“if [he] had to fire all the foreigners who work in France, there would not be many, or in any case fewer priests…
This article is reserved for subscribers.
You have 86% left to discover.
Flash sale
€4.49/month for 12 months
I ENJOY IT
Already subscribed?
Log in