” The church is my mother, she made me who I am and she made me flourish », Exclaims Franck. Today, however, the man of the Church has had to make a difficult choice. As parish priest of Saulieu (Côte-d’Or), he is responsible for celebrating masses, baptisms or even weddings and especially burials. This is called the curial charge. But for him, impossible to work as he sees fit: the territory is too large. The quality of his celebrations and his health suffer. He had to give up his duties and therefore come back ” in the secular state “, unwillingly.
I run everywhere. I really want to be as close as possible to the faithful, but I was doing administrative tasks. So it couldn’t last, not for me anyway.
A progressive disappointment
Before arriving in Saulieu in September 2020, Franck Molard was the head of the parish of Saint-Seine-l’Abbaye (Côte-d’Or). Until then, no problem. ” I was very happy and had amazing parishioners », Recalls the man of the Church. It is later that the problems arise. As parish priest in Saulieu (Côte-d’Or), he is in charge of a parish twice the size of the one where it was previously : “8,000 inhabitants, over 80,000 hectares on the borders of Morvan, on the Saône-et-Loire, Nièvre and Yonne sides and in addition 40 to 45 bell towers which are spread over a large number of areas “.
This new geography forces him to go further and further. Which is the opposite of the vision of religious charges that Franck would like: ” I wanted to take my caravan to go to the villages, then do the itinerant cure. The Covid did not allow it to me. I would have liked to put this perspective into practice here, so go door to door and introduce myself without proselytizing. It’s more pleasant to see them while they are alive and just get to know each other, rather than seeing them between four boards, at a funeral “.
These incessant movements discourage him, because he cannot get as close as possible to the faithful. ” I run everywhere. I really want to be as close as possible to the faithful, but I was doing administrative tasks. So it couldn’t last, not for me anyway. It is not my role. As a priest, I am here to see people and share the Gospel to the most distant », He explains.
In parallel, Franck’s health suffers, both physically and psychologically : ” It causes me stress-related diabetes and it is impossible for me to sleep. It hits me on the system and it makes me very unpleasant. Other confreres consider themselves in a position to be able to hold out, and I am edified by it. “.
The priest also mentions the issue of celibacy. ” Celibacy, that’s not why I’m leaving, even if it costs me terribly. Although I tell myself that there are a number of disciplines in the church, such as the way in which we treat the divorced-remarried or other ways of living, which make some Christians feel judged and condemned. It seems to me that this is not what the Gospel asks for, but rather to welcome them as they are by asking them to strive for an ideal even if it is not always achieved, but to always be able to strive for it. », He justifies himself. However, he wishes to clarify that this is not the main reason for him to give up his functions.
Misunderstanding and support
In the town, the decision of the priest is reacting. On this Saturday market, there is François, 60 years old. This inhabitant of Saulieu does not know the priest personally, but he had the opportunity to attend his celebrations. He understands the decision taken by Franck Molard. ” Before the priests were two to three per parish, and they now find themselves a little abandoned. They don’t have to travel miles to do their missions. They must be able to meet their parishioners, do their liturgies and for that, they are all alone. What happened to Franck Molard is a shame because I think he is a good boy, who completely fulfilled his priesthood and his tasks and missions. », Explains François.
Same story for Estelle, who manages a cottage in Saulieu. This woman has not been to mass for years, but Father Molard’s decision touches her. ” It’s amazing, but maybe you have to go through this for people to understand that you can’t ask the impossible of people. He is in the human, it is not a assembly line work that we ask him. I understand that he is resigning, if he is committed to doing his job with professionalism », Said this resident.
The former priest of Saulieu raises the fact that certain disciplines of the church can be improved. Some residents agree with him on this point, such as Michèle: “ There is no reason that priests should not have a family life with children. I understand that it is very difficult for him “.
Even if these inhabitants regret it, Franck’s decision does not change: he must celebrate his last mass on October 31. Afterwards, he will move to Corbigny (Nièvre) and will start working on his own, in the building industry.