March 5 2016
Europe is loosing its ability to stand as a role model. The focal point of the Church is moving towards Africa and Asia, swelling the ranks of Catholicism more and more. A significant increase in diocesan clergy is a counterpoint to the marked decline in religious priests. The phenomenon of the permanent diaconate is booming. The overall positive trend of the candidates to the priesthood. These are the highlights of Pontifical the Yearbook 2016 and of the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2014, presented today. The publications, edited by the Central Statistics Bureau of the Holy See, record the pulse of the Catholic Church in the world and signal a set of ongoing trends.
Catholics in the world. In the period 2005-2014, the number of baptized Catholics in the world has grown at a faster pace (14.1%) than that of the world population during the same period (10.8%). Catholic presence represents 17.8% and, in absolute terms, there are about 1 billion and 272 million Catholics heterogeneously distributed throughout the various areas of the world.
In nine years Europe has grown by less than 2%, it is home to almost 23% of the world Catholic community whose presence on the territory is stable at 40%
Conversely, in the African continent new baptisms are rapidly growing (215 million in 2014) at a pace that is twice that of Asian countries (almost 41%), and at a far greater pace compared to population growth (23,8%). The bishops have increased by 8.2%, amounting to 5.237. Significant increases were registered in Asia (+14,3%) and in Africa (+12,9%), while in America (+6,9%), in Europe (+5,4%) and Oceania (+4 %) figures are well below the world average. Distribution per continent has remained substantially stable in the time frame considered, with higher rates registered in America and Europe.
Clergy. The number of diocesan and religious priests rose from 406,411 in 2005 to 415,792 in 2014 but, reading between the lines, it turns out that the pace of growth has been more rapid in the first six years, followed by a slow decline in the past three. Africa (+ 32.6%) and Asia (+ 27.1%) lead the way, while Europe (-8%) ranks last. Defections have gradually decreased while death rates increase.
This situation leads to reasonably assume differences in the pastoral contribution at global level, namely, the number of Catholics per priest will be always higher in Africa and in America when compared to a Europe that is facing ageing priest population and low generational replacement rates
The data on diocesan priests signal an overall increase – exception made for the Old Continent – conversely from the religious priests, whose numbers are declining in the Americas, in Europe and in Oceania. This means that in the nine-year period surveyed, Africa, South-Eastern Asia, Central America and South America have registered a considerable growth, while figures have remained the same in central Asia. North America and Europe are marked by a decline.
Deacons, religious brothers and nuns. The figure of the permanent deacon is gaining increasing importance, representing the most rapidly developing group: they were 45,000 in 2014, representing a 33.5% increase compared to 2005 (amounting to approximately 33,000). These figures refer to Europe and America in particular, as Africa and Asia have barely known the phenomenon. However, permanent deacons’ capacity to assist the priests in their pastoral activity at local level remains limited. A slight drop in numbers was registered among the professed religious who are not priests: from 54,708 to 54,559 in 2014. In Asia they account for almost 38% of the total figure. In 2014 the professed women religious represented a population of 682,729, approximately 38% of whom in Europe, followed by America with over 177 thousand consecrated women, and Asia with as many as 170 thousand. Figures fell by 10.2%, although the decline refers mainly to America, Europe and Oceania. The share of women religious in Africa and Asia on the world total, in fact, went from 27.8% to 35.3%, at the expense of Europe and America whose incidence as a whole fell from 70.8% to 63.5%.
New priests. The number of major seminarians (diocesan and religious) has risen from 114.439 in 2005 to 120.616 in 2011, followed by a decline in 2014 (116.939). All continents except for Africa (+3.8%) have registered a decrease in the past three years.
There has been an evident decline in the number of priests in the European and American continents considering their potential growth.
Notably, figures fell from 20.2% to 16.2% in Europe and from 32.2% to 29.1% in America, compared to soaring numbers in Africa and Asia, representing 53.5% of the world total in 2014. Thus the potential generational replacement of priests is significantly diversified. Asia and Africa rank first with 66 and 54 candidates to the priesthoods every 100 priests, while America and Oceania with 28 and 22 candidates. Europe is once again last with barely 10 candidates every 100 priests, heralding an uncertain future for the continent.
