Number of Catholics growing throughout the world

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(Vatican Radio) The number of Catholics in the world has increased with growth registered across all five continents. The figures are taken by the Fides news agency from the latest edition of the Church’s Book of Statistics updated to 31 December 2012. These show that on that date the number of Catholics in the world stood at 1,228,621,000 with an overall increase of more than 15,000,000 compared to the previous year. The Americas and Africa registered the biggest increases followed by Asia, Europe and Oceania. The world percentage of Catholics stood at 17.49 %, a decrease of 0.01% compared to the end of 2011.
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The total number of priests in the world increased by 895 to 414,313. Europe once again registered the largest decrease (-1,375) followed by the Americas (-90) and Oceania (-80). In Africa the number of priests grew by 1,076 and in Asia by 1,364.
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There was an overall decrease in the number of women religious worldwide, whose numbers dropped by 10,677 to 702,529. Once again Africa and Asia showed increases whilst Europe and the Americas showed the biggest decrease in the number of women religious.
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en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/12/31/number_of_catholics_growing_throughout_the_world/1116557
 
In Africa and Asia lies the future of the Church. Eventually they will reevangelize Europe.
 
The world’s Catholic population increased by 15 million in the past year, with some growth on every continent, according to new statistics from the Fides news service. The latest …

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I would note, too, that we should continue praying for a resurgence in women who respond to religious life vocations. The continuing decline of female religious communities can’t spell anything positive.
 
How many of those 1.2 bil actually go to church on Sunday or practice
? That would a much more useful number than this huge inflated one probably including lapsed, atheists, and non observant people.
 
SWolf said:
In Africa and Asia lies the future of the Church. Eventually they will reevangelize Europe.
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Heck, I’d say that they’re working on reevangelizing certain members of the Church hierarchy in Europe.
 
boar2roar said:
How many of those 1.2 bil actually go to church on Sunday or practice
? That would a much more useful number than this huge inflated one probably including lapsed, atheists, and non observant people.
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Yeah, sometimes I think these numbers are just to rally the troops and put on a good face to the outsiders. But I am glad that they are up, no matter how they’re scrambled together. The Catholic Church is the only real option left (or that ever was), the original, historical Christian Church. As such of course it is full of believers AND nonbelievers, sheep AND goats, saints AND sinners…that will never change as Scripture tells us over and over.
 
ProVobis said:
Has the total number ever declined?
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I don’t think the Catholic population has ever declined.

However, I don’t view this article as encouraging. The Catholic population as a % of the whole world actually saw a decline - albeit 0.01%.

This means other religions or the non-religious have been making gains to the Catholic faith’s detriment.
 
gracepoole said:
Deo gratias! This is such wonderful, welcome news.
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Amen to that. As a member of our RCIA team, I see all of the new Catholics from the Archdiocese and it’s very encouraging to hear that this is worldwide. We have African priests at the hospital where I attend Daily Mass and they are wonderful, joyful and holy priests. I think someone mentioned Africa and Asia re-evangelizing Europe and North America. I see this happening right here.

Lisa
 
gracepoole said:
I would note, too, that we should continue praying for a resurgence in women who respond to religious life vocations. The continuing decline of female religious communities can’t spell anything positive.
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I think this is turning around, particularly in what are considered the traditional orders where the Religious live in community. They are going “tech” as well, making great use of social media, internet, websites and their outreach, particularly in music. I’ve been very impressed and supportive of the ImagineSisters campaign. Many joyful young women are finding their vocations.

Lisa
 
LisaA said:
Amen to that. As a member of our RCIA team, I see all of the new Catholics from the Archdiocese and it’s very encouraging to hear that this is worldwide. We have African priests at the hospital where I attend Daily Mass and they are wonderful, joyful and holy priests. I think someone mentioned Africa and Asia re-evangelizing Europe and North America. I see this happening right here.

Lisa
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RCIA is such a commitment for sponsors – 👍 to you!
 
LisaA said:
I think this is turning around, particularly in what are considered the traditional orders where the Religious live in community. They are going “tech” as well, making great use of social media, internet, websites and their outreach, particularly in music. I’ve been very impressed and supportive of the ImagineSisters campaign. Many joyful young women are finding their vocations.

Lisa
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That’s awesome! I had no idea. Thanks for sharing!
 
boar2roar said:
How many of those 1.2 bil actually go to church on Sunday or practice
? That would a much more useful number than this huge inflated one probably including lapsed, atheists, and non observant people.
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The data is about the change in overall numbers relative to the previous period.
Why would people who self-identified as atheists previously, not do the same thing in this survey?
Non-practising, nominal catholics were no doubt included in the previous survey data as well.
But if their numbers are increasing, that is meaningful.
It indicates a growth in the number of people who identify as catholic relative to the last survey.

Lapsed catholics DO return to the Church.

People of little or no faith DO convert.

Young people DO independently and defiantly reject the empty rhetoric and the consequences
of materialism/atheism/secularism which they saw in their parent’s hedonistic generation.
(Wanna see a church FULL of young people under 30?)

Scandals of the past DO get resolved and recede into ancient history where they belong.
 
gracepoole said:
RCIA is such a commitment for sponsors – 👍 to you!
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Thank you. RCIA is an equal blessing to those on the team. No matter how many times I hear the various subjects discussed, I always learn something or remember a concept that I’d forgotten about. Getting to know the new Catholics is another great joy and a number of them have become dear friends, just as I am still close to my sponser. It’s very encouraging to journey with them.

Lisa
 
LisaA said:
Amen to that. As a member of our RCIA team, I see all of the new Catholics from the Archdiocese and it’s very encouraging to hear that this is worldwide. We have African priests at the hospital where I attend Daily Mass and they are wonderful, joyful and holy priests. I think someone mentioned Africa and Asia re-evangelizing Europe and North America. I see this happening right here.

Lisa
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Thank you, Lisa, for that wonderful personal testimony. As a Catholic who recently returned to the Church, I’m very energized and happy to hear of this. I pay little attention to actual numbers but pray fervently for those who are actually living by the faith given to us.
 
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