Fifty years ago, the pope Pius XII chose to put an end to the Working Priests experience, priests immerged in a working class world of the aftermath of WW II. “Too much in workshops, not close enough to the faithful!” Such were the conclusions ruling the Vatican at the time.

But the working priests could not live otherwise than in their worker’s condition. Working with their hands, they made the first steps, then a second by affiliating themselves to syndicates, including the French General Working Confederation (CGT). They were active on all fronts, including during the great strikes of 1947.

The media at the time swiftly gave full attention to these priests in robes, marching arm in arm with the French communists in the Peace Movement.

In 1954, the Vatican considered the working priests had “gone too far”. More than half of them will resist the order from above and leave the Church to honor their commitment to their comrades.
Crossed testimonies of the survivors of this adventure trace the story of the movement… but more than that, the film looks at these exceptional men, docile or rebellious working priests.