France: The Church's "Thermometer" Is Back
Father Laurent Gastineau, a young priest ordained 2014 for Séez diocese said that in his area two priests wore the cassock in 2014. Now, there are ten priests in cassock - half of the local clergy.
Arte Houssard, a French manufacturer of tailor-made cassocks, saw its sales increase by 145% between 1999 and 2016.
“We have always had customers, mainly tradis to which can be added today's new generation of [Novus Ordo] priests who want to have a cassock, even if they don't wear it every day,” says the company's manager of the company's store in Paris.
Francis may not be happy about this development. However, the use of the cassock or its rejection are a sure thermometer indicating the Church's health or decline.
Picture: © Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsDspawinuni
