A major review which will lead to the closure of a number of Roman Catholic churches in Bradford was announced to congregations yesterday.

The Leeds Diocese, which controls Bradford's Roman Catholic churches, said it was suffering from rapidly declining attendances, spiralling repair bills and a predicted shortage of priests.

Monsignor Michael McQuinn is overseeing the eight-month long review on behalf of the Bishop of Leeds, the Right Reverend Arthur Roche.

"The Catholic church has not reviewed its property in Bradford for 180 years and we are open for radical change," he said.

"Due to falling numbers of people attending services, massive repair bills for our properties and a predicted shortage of priests it is inevitable that some churches will close."

The Telegraph & Argus exclusively reported in April that some Catholic churches in Bradford were at crisis point.

At the peak of the churches' popularity in 1950, 16,380 people attended a weekly Sunday mass in Bradford compared to only 6,799 in 2000.

The number of people attending Sunday mass each week at St Brendan's Church in Greengates has shrunk four-fold over the last 22 years with average attendance dropping from 354 in 1986 to only 88 last year - the smallest congregation in the district.

St Joseph's Church in Great Horton had an average congregation of 1,379 in 1986. Last year that had dropped to 559. St Francis Church in Eccleshill had 1,025 worshippers attending mass in 1986. Last year that was down to 350.

Due to the predicted shortage of parish priests able to minister by 2018 the diocese has calculated that each priest will have to have an average congregation of 250 for the church to remain viable.

"Where a congregation does not make this we have a problem," said Monsignor McQuinn. "Some situations look more vulnerable than others."

Twelve of Bradford's 20 Catholic churches fell short of that figure in 2004 although figures for the five chapel of eases in the district were not available.

Monsignor McQuinn said the decline of some of Bradford's churches and a rapidly growing repair bill was also a tough challenge for the diocese.

Six of Bradford's oldest churches need repairs costing a total of more than £3 million.

"It is important people understand that nothing has been decided yet," said Monsignor McQuinn.

"We have started a process of discussion and we want people to be involved in the debate and put forward their solutions. This is not about the Bishop sitting in Leeds making high-handed decisions."

Monsignor McQuinn said the diocese hoped to have a more concrete plan by Christmas when it will embark on a process of formal consultation.

"By Easter the Bishop hopes to make his final decision," he said.

"We don't yet have a timescale for when the churches will close, it is too early to say."

A letter by the Rt Rev Roche about the need for the review was read to worshippers by priests at services across the district yesterday.

In it the Bishop says: "I am aware that this process will not necessarily be easy and will cause all of us suffering."

A DVD about the problems facing the Catholic church in Bradford entitled Providing Priests For The People Bradford Deaneries was also distributed.