The Church in France is offering worshippers the opportunity to “adopt a priest”, with a light-hearted fundraising campaign.
According to reports, the campaign has been created by six Normandy dioceses, taking the form of a website and short video which is inspired by popular French dating website, Adopt a Guy. The video says priests all ages are available for ‘adoption,’ from trainee priests to older pastors.
Donations will help cover the costs of daily expenses, including paying for meals, clothing and transport, and it is hoped that the campaign will help to increase the number of people giving money to the Church.
Xavier Signargout, the deputy bishop of Calvados, told the news magazine Le Point: “The dioceses wanted to rejuvenate the image of the annual parish collection by targeting people aged 18 to 40. The humour allowed us to mention the collection in an offbeat way.”
According to The Guardian, the Church in Normandy needs to expand its donor base which currently stands at 80,000 people in a region where two-thirds of its 3.4 million residents say they are Catholic, while the Rouen region is losing 500 to 700 donors each year.
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