Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Church Commissioners – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 15 October 2009.
It is good to hear that there are more priests in training-particularly, one imagines, women priests-but, in addition to the amalgamation of many parishes, another growing trend which I consider worrying is that priests are expected to do at least a part-time job, if not a full-time job, as well as being priests. That puts enormous pressure on them. What research is the Church undertaking to ensure that those people can cope with the new work load, and are not unfairly put upon?