SALFORD DIOCESE has announced plans to cut the number of parishes from 150 to 75. The proposal was made in a report issued by Bishop John Arnold unveiling a diocese-wide consultation.
The report recommends the closures because“the Catholic population has dispersed and declined” and because there are fewer priests. According to the report there are 150 priests in active ministry in Salford. Of these, 23 are past the normal retirement age of 75. By 2020 it is estimated that only 108 priests under the age of 75 will be in active ministry.
