The Episcopal Conference of France (CEF) reported that 105 new priests will be ordained this year than 17 priests in 2023 when 88 new priests were ordained in the European country last year.
In a note published on the CEF website, it is stated that the vast majority of priestly ordinations are celebrated during June, particularly on the Sunday before the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Saints, which the Catholic Church celebrates. every year on 29 June.
The new priests are distributed as follows: 73 are diocesan, 16 are religious, 10 are members of communities, 2 belong to societies of apostolic life, while the remaining 4 belong to “institutes referred to the ancient commission Ecclesia Dei, which They celebrate according to the Roman Missal of 1962 (before the reform of Vatican II).”
In a press conference, Bishop Bertrand Lacombe, Archbishop of Auch and member of the council for ordained ministers and lay people in ecclesial mission, highlighted two aspects that must be considered in the new priests:
1. The essential mission of the priest “in the Church and the meaning of this mission today, within an increasingly secularized French society.”
2. “The ongoing reflection of the bishops as well as the initiatives in the dioceses to raise vocations,” he added.
Addressing the new priests, the French prelate wished “a good ministry to the priests who respond to the spiritual expectations of our time: the adventure is worth it and gives light to the world.”