Vocations Are Declining Under Pope Francis
The number of seminarians who prepare for the priesthood almost doubled during the pontificate of John Paul II, and modestly grew under Benedict XVI. But since 2012 this number is falling according to …More
The number of seminarians who prepare for the priesthood almost doubled during the pontificate of John Paul II, and modestly grew under Benedict XVI. But since 2012 this number is falling according to the Central Statistic Office of the Holy See.
Pope Francis was elected in March 2013. Since then the numbers of seminarians has fallen more sharply. The total of seminarians fell from 118.251 in 2013 to 116.843 in 2015. According to infoCatólica this fall is especially striking in countries that follow Pope Francis' theological liberalism like Germany or Switzerland, while the vocations grow in some dioceses of the United States, which are marked by a fidelity to Catholic doctrine.
The only continent that is not affected by a vocational crisis is Africa, whose bishops have been especially skeptical toward Francis' liberal stances.
Picture: © Jeffrey Bruno, Aleteia, CC BY-SA, #newsXsxhmvdeab
Pope Francis was elected in March 2013. Since then the numbers of seminarians has fallen more sharply. The total of seminarians fell from 118.251 in 2013 to 116.843 in 2015. According to infoCatólica this fall is especially striking in countries that follow Pope Francis' theological liberalism like Germany or Switzerland, while the vocations grow in some dioceses of the United States, which are marked by a fidelity to Catholic doctrine.
The only continent that is not affected by a vocational crisis is Africa, whose bishops have been especially skeptical toward Francis' liberal stances.
Picture: © Jeffrey Bruno, Aleteia, CC BY-SA, #newsXsxhmvdeab
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GodsCowboy
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That might not be as bad as it seems. I'm sure the church is a lot more selective in deciding who can become a priest after all the problems they've had around Pope John Paul's time. Plus, a lot of men that might have made poor priests haven't considered the profession do to the church's new policy on exposing and not protecting them. That time period also created a black mark on the church and …More
That might not be as bad as it seems. I'm sure the church is a lot more selective in deciding who can become a priest after all the problems they've had around Pope John Paul's time. Plus, a lot of men that might have made poor priests haven't considered the profession do to the church's new policy on exposing and not protecting them. That time period also created a black mark on the church and it's going to take time to regain the confidence of the public. Once that happens more really good men will start considering the priesthood again.
Chuck Lentine
(AKA GOD'S Cowboy)
(AKA Cowboy de Dios)