Visit of Pope Leo XIV to France: the daily life of priests facing the vocations crisis

Pope Leo XIV begins his four-day visit to France this Friday, September 25. An arrival eagerly awaited by Catholics and a Church which hopes that it will reveal vocations. This is a worrying subject for religious authorities who see the number of priests declining, with only 84 ordinations in France in 2026.

In Chelles, in Seine-et-Marne, the parish center has the appearance of a small modern two-story building. Located in a small, discreet street, and surrounded by buildings, the church houses several priests who live in the same apartment. One of them, Jean-Baptiste Pelletier, 39, is starting his fifth year in Chelles, where he mainly takes care of young people, explains Hubert Louvet, roommate and parish priest, before the person concerned's arrival. Priest Pelletier, who crosses the threshold in a hoodie and flip-flops, jokes about living in shared accommodation at church and says, laughing: "We don't get paid much, but we have a good laugh." Housed, but not fed, he confides while the average salary of a priest is €950 to €1,000 per month.

“When you are a priest, you multitask”

Jean-Baptiste Pelletier, priest at the parish of Chelles

at franceinfo

“We start at 7:45 a.m., with morning prayer, lauds, and we finish around 10 p.m., sometimes later,” summarizes “Padre JB”, as he likes to call himself. Substantial schedules which can slow down some people from committing. “Yes, the density of work can scare young people, but our bishops, our leaders, encourage us to take time to rest, time to cut back,” reassures the priest, who takes advantage of these moments of relaxation to go see his family, play sports or listen to music, such as “pop praise and groups like Glorious”.

Insufficient number of priests

During his busy days, Father Pelletier, very present on social networks, also accompanies groups of young people in fourth and third grade, but also the Scouts and Guides of France, while taking care of Catholic education. A commitment which is nevertheless becoming increasingly rare, because the vocations crisis has passed by. “We, in Seine-et-Marne, have ordinations of priests every year, but it is uneven from one diocese to another,” he analyzes.

“In France, there is a need for priests, we are not going to lie, but we have many people who, for three or four years, have converted or requested baptism,” assures Jean-Baptiste Pelletier who is participating in the major consultation launched on this subject by the bishops of France and is expected to meet Pope Leo XIV on Saturday.