Priests in France to use upgraded clergy ID

Catholic clergy in France will soon carry a standardised identification card linked to a national database that shows whether they are currently in good standing and can celebrate Mass and hear confessions.

May 26, 2023

By Kevin J. Jones
Catholic clergy in France will soon carry a standardised identification card linked to a national database that shows whether they are currently in good standing and can celebrate Mass and hear confessions.

“It aims to prevent impostors [false priests or deacons] from continuing to act to the detriment of the faithful and the sacraments,” the Conference of French Bishops’ website said May 5. It noted that current paper documents can be faked.

Clergy have always carried a document showing they are approved to celebrate Mass, called a celebret. The document, issued by a bishop or a religious superior, is valid for one year. It shows a priest is authorised to celebrate Mass and to hear confessions. The French Catholic Bishops’ website compared the card to a press credential for journalists or an identity card for legal professionals.

France’s Catholic bishops first approved the updated clergy identification card at their November 2021 plenary assembly. The bishops made the change to help standardise documents between dioceses and religious communities and to provide real-time updates on authorisations and restrictions.

The French Bishops’ Conference, in a May 10 announcement, described the change as part of a large set of measures “intended to continue and intensify the fight against sexual violence within the Church” following the October 2021 report of the Independent Commission on Sex Abuse in the Church.

That report, however, did not make recommendations regarding identity cards. The French bishops’ press kit about the card also does not mention abuse prevention explicitly.

All bishops and priests are affected by the new ID cards, as are permanent deacons. Both French-based clergy and those who are living in France as part of their religious mission, must have an identification card.

Clergy credentials are to be verified by those who supervise a religious event or gathering, including pilgrimages or Masses.

“If the ordained minister refuses to present his card, he will not be able to celebrate,” the French bishops’ website said.

The system is operational for French bishops who received their cards at their March plenary assembly. Data collection is underway for 13,000 priests and 3,000 deacons. Identification cards will be issued when the process is complete.

The new celebret document includes a QR code linked to a secure national directory. The national database may be accessed by using a phone to scan the QR Code on the identification card or by entering the clergyman’s name and personal ID number on the relevant website.

Bishop Alexandre Joly of Troyes, vice president of the Bishops’ Conference of France, explained at a May 10 press conference that when the card’s QR code is scanned, the app will show a green, yellow, or orange colour based on the priest’s authorisations.

This is a nonspecific indication of whether or not the ordained minister has specific restrictions on his ministry. Out of concern for privacy, the user must enter the clergyman’s four-digit confidentiality code to display the specific details.

Authorisations or restrictions can apply to public celebration of the Eucharist, preaching, baptisms, confessions, one-on-one pastoral counselling, wedding preparation and celebration, and ability to preside at a funeral.

A lack of authorisation is not necessarily due to a flaw on the clergyman’s part. Newly ordained priests are not immediately approved to hear confessions pending further training, France24 News reported.

The superiors of clergy, can at times, bar them from making media appearances, so the identification card will show whether the clergyman is approved to participate in programmes broadcast by radio, television, or the internet.

Dioceses are responsible for updating the information for their priests, while religious superiors are responsible for updating the information for religious clergy. Information will be updated once a year, but immediately for cases of serious misconduct, Joly said. --CNA