Looking to the future” “” “

Understanding its own history and present-day reality, changing mentality, and redrawing the map: this was the course followed by the diocese of Clermont-Ferrand, at the heart of France, in the effort to adapt its own parish communities and make then more responsive to the evangelising mission of our time. The transformation is far-reaching. It is described to SIR by Bishop Hippolyte Simon , a man known also for his European sensibility and his role as one of the vice-presidents of COMECE. Msgr. Simon, can the parish in France be considered an important institution of the Church, essential for Christian life? “In France the parish is an institution that has been, and is once again becoming important. For several years, it was thought, in some Catholic circles, that the parish was “obsolete”, and no longer suited to evangelization in our country. Opponents of the parish privileged a ministry based on ‘sociological environments’, rather than a sacramental ministry linked to the territory. Then some so-called ‘new’ communities privileged links by spiritual affinities, rather than the traditional pastoral ministry open to every practising Catholic, regular or not. But today in France the parish is making a comeback and is rediscovering a future for itself following numerous diocesan synods held in recent years. The parish, in fact, is wished by the Church. It is based on a ‘territorial law’ and not on the subjective preferences of individuals. It is the place in which each baptised may experience in practice the universality of the Church, and encounter brothers and sisters he/she has not chosen but that may invite him/her to accept the gift of God. The parish must consider the problems of all its inhabitants, even those who have dropped out of the church and those who have other religious convictions”. What are the main problems that parishes have to tackle? Are there new experiences to overcome these obstacles for the Christian mission? “The basic problem that has had to be solved is that of the transition from the parishes inherited from the 19th century, when French society was essentially rural and agricultural, to parishes suited to urban society. These parishes were founded in a period when people travelled on foot and ended school at the age of 11, if they went to school at all! In my diocese, for example, there were 522 parishes for a population of 600,000 inhabitants. Most parishes consisted of a single village, often will less than a hundred inhabitants: the smallest had only 17. But in the cities, some parishes comprised over 40,000 inhabitants. The time came when, with 130 priests in service, it was impossible to find a parish priest for every community. Most of these communities had nothing more than the title of parish; this fragmentation made pastoral work as a whole difficult. Many were satisfied with survival and nostalgia for the past”. So what did you do? What measures did you take? “After a synod that lasted for three years, from 1997 to 2000, and that mobilised over 10,000 people in 1,300 synodal équipes, we decided on a reform of the diocesan territory. Our diocese now comprises 32 parishes, with an average of 20,000 inhabitants each. We have tried to ensure that each parish is a real community of Catholics, at the centre of life in our time. In particular we adopted as our criterion the role of evangelizing secondary schoolchildren. To ensure that youngsters aged from 15 to 18 be at the centre of the parish, it is essential that the parish be geared to the ‘geography’ of the schools they attend. Combining this criterion with that of distance (no one ought to be more than half an hour’s journey – but by car! – from the Eucharist), we then established our new map of the diocese. A curate, assisted by other priests, permanent deacons and laypeople with well-defined responsibilities, now heads each parish. It is able to fulfil all its functions and is also supported with the Councils prescribed by the Code of Canon Law. In rural areas, each parish uses various places of worship, but people have grasped the need to travel to Sunday mass, just as they need to travel for all the other requirements of modern life. Care needs to be taken to animate small local communities in villages and in city quarters. But, in this way, each community forms part of a parish that supports it, instead of being isolated and left to itself”. Are the parishes of Clermont-Ferrand open to and actively involved in the social, cultural and political reality? “It’s difficult to reply to this question. But I believe I can say that the reform has restored vitality to all our parishes and I hope that this may bear fruit in future. What is for sure, is that the way all Catholics involved in our various communities look to the future has changed”.