ROME. On Monday, Pope Francis called on religious orders to intensify their efforts and prayers for new priests and nuns, acknowledging the dire situation as the numbers entering Catholic religious life continue to plummet in many parts of the world.
Addressing representatives of six religious orders holding assemblies in Rome this summer, Pope Francis inquired about their current number of trainees for priesthood or religious life. Responses varied, with some reporting as few as eight, twelve, and seventeen, primarily from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
“The future is there, it’s true,” Francis remarked. “We have to double these numbers!”
For over a decade, the number of Catholic priests and nuns from Europe and parts of the Americas has been in significant decline, unable to compensate for the losses due to deaths and desertions. The influx of new priests from the Global South has somewhat mitigated the overall global decline, with 407,872 priests recorded in 2021 compared to 413,418 in 2011, according to Vatican statistics.
However, the decline in female religious orders has been more severe, losing around 10,000 members annually over the past decade. Despite some vibrant and growing communities, the total number of religious sisters worldwide dropped from 713,206 in 2011 to 608,958 in 2021.
These trends have forced some orders to disband, scale down, and sell properties to care for aging members. Some have even stopped accepting new members due to uncertain futures.
Pope Francis, emphasizing the importance of maintaining high standards for admission, urged religious superiors to be diligent in training recruits. “You have to have successors who will continue your charism,” he said, referring to the unique spirit that defines each religious order. “Pray, pray.”
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
