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| Projection from 2014 based on active France-bred vocations from religious orders |
The gravest crisis in a great part of the Church is that of vocations -- and France is no exception, of course. In Rorate, we have covered it often, including making clear that, with current trends persisting, a huge proportion of active priests in France in a few decades will be those dedicated exclusively or mostly to the Traditional Latin Mass (cf. here, for instance).
Leo XIV met with the outgoing board of the French Bishops' Conference (CEF) last week, and, as Silere non Possum notes, it is the silence on vocations -- particularly of the traditional communities, completely ignored in the bishops' 2025 dramatic report -- that is noteworthy:
Notably absent: the communities linked to the traditional liturgy
There is also a glaring omission: no mention whatsoever of ordinations within traditionalist communities — those groups that regularly celebrate the Roman rite in its ancient form and are, in France, not only numerous but also notably young. These are not schismatic communities; they are fully in communion with the Pope. And yet they are systematically ignored, as though their very existence were to be erased.
Silere non possum has repeatedly pointed out that the true issue is not the choice of liturgical rite, but rather the ecclesial vitality, the youthfulness of the candidates, and the seriousness of the formative proposal these communities offer. That is what draws so many young men to them. The question thus arises: why are these communities ignored in a national report on ordinations? The answer is clear: ideology. An ideology that excludes what it cannot control, that silences what does not fit within its own cultural frameworks. And so, once again, division is fostered. The Pope’s call to unity must not be left as a dead letter.
Pope Leo XIV has spoken repeatedly, from the very first day of his pontificate, about the importance of unity in diversity. But this principle cannot remain on paper: it must become a criterion of governance in the Church. If those who lead the dicasteries act according to personal or ideological logic rather than with an ecclesial spirit, the risk is real: painful fractures and serious injustices.
The Church in France today is a complex and fragile field. Bishops can no longer afford to lead by excluding, scorning, or delegitimizing what does not align with their style. Because — let us not forget — he who divides does not come from God. [Source]
