Catholic church launches recriutment drive for priesthood

The Roman Catholic church is to launch a recruitment campaign to get more young people to become priests.

It plans to use the slogan “get collared for the challenge of a lifetime”.

The church is hoping to capitalise in renewed interest in the priesthood after large numbers of young people mourned the death of Pope John Paul II.

Posters will appear in the London Underground and the campaign will also be run on beer mats that will be handed out at youth festivals and in chaplaincies.

Father Paul Embery, director of the National Office for Vocation, which is running the campaign, said that previously the office had only advertised within the church. It now needed to "take the campaign into other areas of young people’s lives", he said.

“We recognise that following the death of the Holy Father there has been an increase in interest in the priesthood and the church generally, “ he told the Daily Telegraph.

“We are trying to develop that into something more long term.”