Many parishioners are disappointed and saddened, others are angry and feel abandoned by their Church. Christian communities without priests are multiplying. Many churches are already closed, others are being twinned with other parishes. The opportunity for interpersonal contact in a warm human community is becoming less and less frequent or non-existent, and this just at a time when the need for human contact is one of the most pressing requirements of our age. The popularity of fundamentalist sects and charismatic groups is proof of this.
Most priests are tired out.
Some are even at the point of exhaustion. The real vitality of the Christian community must be grounded in a healthier balance of the pastoral activities between lay people and their priests. However, the basic problem has not been addressed. It is useless to hide or overlook the fact that in any new arrangement, the shortage of priests remains the central weakness, regardless of any new geographical arrangement. In many, perhaps even most dioceses, in the various committees charged with dealing with new arrangements there is little talk of the shortage of priests, or the subject is avoided entirely.