Team of priests in solidum

In 1983 the Catholic Church introduced the possibility of entrusting the pastoral care, of one or more parishes to a team of priests in solidum. This provision in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which resembles ancient models of pastoral care in the Roman tituli churches with their colleges of priests, was introduced to help resolve some of the difficulties facing many dioceses. These include: shortages of priests; overpopulated urban parishes; depleted and scattered rural parishes; decline in attendance at Mass. This model of pastoral care is viewed as a practical way of promoting pastoral co-responsibility, as well as fostering a greater sense of the presbyterium among the priests of a diocese.

Canon 517 § 1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, provides a generic norm for constituting a team of priests to look after one or more parishes; ubi adiuncta id requirant (when circumstances require it), which concedes flexibility to the diocesan bishop in organising the structures for pastoral care within his diocese: "When circumstances require it, the pastoral care of a parish or of different parishes together can be entrusted to several priests in solidum, with the requirement, however, that in exercising pastoral care one of them must be the moderator, namely, the one who is to direct the joint action and to answer for it to the bishop." However, the Codifying Commission responsible for drafting the canons on in solidum pastoral care expressed that it should be considered an «exceptional» provision.

Commentators acknowledge that there is confusion regarding the ecclesiastical office conferred upon the team of priests in solidum. The law entrusts the cura pastoralis (pastoral care) to each member of the team of priests equally. However, the team of priests is not a juridical person. The team is made up of single priests who assume pastoral care simultaneously or conjointly, and are obligated to the majority of duties proper to a parish priest.

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