POPE PUSHES FRENCH BISHOPS ON DECLINE IN PRIESTLY VOCATIONS

Vatican, Dec. 09 (CWNews.com) - Meeting with a group of French bishops on December 6, Pope John Paul II raised the question of declining priestly vocations.

"For many years now, your country has seen a grave crisis of vocations: a sort of wandering in the desert that constitutes a real trial of faith for pastors and faithful alike," the Pope noted. He continued by noting that the decline in priestly vocations had continued in spite of "many initiatives that have been tried in the French dioceses." But he insisted that the bishops must not "give in to discouragement," but confront the problem with unwavering faith.

The Pope made his remarks during a Saturday meeting with bishops from the metropolitan regions of Rennes and Rouen, who were concluding their ad limina visit to Rome. He told them that young people might be dissuaded from priestly or religious vocations because of three factors: fear of long-term commitment, misconceptions about the nature of the priesthood, and a general secularizing trend that weakens understanding of faith.

The Pope continued with a long and very concrete set of recommendations, urging the bishops to devote careful attention to seminar formation, selection of candidates for the priesthood, and a tight focus on the spiritual life of priests, seminary staff, and candidates for the priestly ministry.

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