One out of four new catholic priests in Europe is Polish
Every fourth newly ordained Catholic priest in Europe is Polish, according to the Institute of Statistics of the Catholic Church. In the last few years in Poland, on average 350 people have been ordained a year. This represents 26 percent of all new presbyters in Europe - there were a total of 1,272 in 2017.
In 2013, ordinations in Poland accounted for 30 percent of all ordinations in Europe. Thus, there was a certain decrease in the share of Poles in the structure of neo-presbyters. It should also be remembered that since 2000 the number of ordinations has been decreasing both in Poland and Europe.
However, the amount of Poles among those leaving the priesthood in Europe is growing. In 2012 it was below 25 percent. (54 people). In turn, already in 2017, every second one who left the priesthood was Polish.
In 2017, 73 people left the priesthood in Poland. The situation in religious orders is not the best either. In 2000, 566 postulants applied for admission to religious orders in Poland, and only 177 in 2017. This includes both male and female religious orders.
In the meantime, since 2000, the total number of diocesan priests in the world has been growing. In 2017, there were 281,000 diocesan priests working all around the globe. However, in Europe, the number of priests is falling. In 2003, it amounted to 141,000. Today, this number dropped to 125,000.
Source: pch24.pl
