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How Severe Is the Priest Shortage in French Dioceses?

French dioceses face a worsening vocation crisis, despite claims of improvement in seminary recruitment, Laurent Dastros writes on July 9 on Substack.com.

Dastros notes that, as of 2026, three French dioceses - Aire-et-Dax, Le Puy-en-Velay, and Le Havre - have gone between 12 and 14 years without a diocesan priestly ordination.

Carcassonne et Narbonne ended a 19-year gap in 2025 with the ordination of a 51-year-old candidate.

Annecy and Rodez could join this list next year if they continue without new ordinations.

Longer-Term Picture

Dastros calculates that between 2011 and 2026, only three dioceses recorded a single diocesan priestly ordination: Carcassonne et Narbonne, Rodez et Vabres, and Pamiers, Couserans et Mirepoix.

Based on the assumption that priests remain in active ministry for approximately 50 years, he estimates that, if current trends continue, each of these dioceses could eventually have only about three native diocesan priests.

He further identifies seven dioceses that have had only two diocesan priestly ordinations over the same 16-year period - Agen, Périgueux et Sarlat, Saint-Flour, Nevers, Sens-Auxerre, Mende, and Tulle.

Under the same assumptions, he projects that these dioceses would ultimately have around six native diocesan priests. Another seven dioceses, each with only three ordinations since 2011, could eventually have diocesan clergy numbering around ten priests if present trends persist.

Dastros also argues that assessments of priestly vocations should take into account departures from the priesthood. Citing data from laveritedeschiffres.net, he notes that between 2023 and 2025 there were 105 diocesan priestly ordinations but also 56 priests who left the diocesan priesthood, excluding deaths.

While acknowledging that the French Bishops' Conference has reported a 50 percent increase in entrants to the propédeutic year between 2023 and 2025, Dastros suggests that additional information would be helpful, particularly regarding the proportion of entrants who are recent converts, whom he believes may prove more likely to leave over the long term.

Picture: © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.u CC BY-NC-ND, #newsKdbjhwonvv
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SonoftheChurch

The Church’s Eldest Daughter is starving. 😭😭😭😭

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Father Karl A Claver

Vatican II totally destroyed vocations in every area of the Church.

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Wilma Lopez

Perhaps if the Latin Mass were re-authorized everywhere, the dynamic would reverse...

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Louis IX

Young people thirst for truth and beauty but the Synodal hierarchy only offers stones and snakes.

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Jeffrey Ade

Unlikely.

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Lisi Sterndorfer shares this

In France, three dioceses have seen only a single priestly ordination in 16 years: • Rodez • Pamiers • Carcassonne.
Three others have recorded no ordinations for 12 to 14 years: • Aire-et-Dax • Le Puy-en-Velay • Le Havre.
Between 2023 and 2025, 56 priests have left the priesthood, while 105 diocesan priests have been ordained.

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Wilma Lopez

Good thing the Vatican excommunicated 700 priests! Dodged a bullet there, amirite?

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Mike the Pike

The Vatican tried to excommunicate 700. It failed to follow Canon law.
In addition, the SSPX has challenged the excommunication of six bishops. That puts the excommunication on hold while it is sorted out. The ball is back in the Modernists' court. The Modernists have not yet succeeded in their schism.
Meanwhile, Catholics still practice the faith.

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