According to the same survey, in 2022, only 33 were ordained priests. In 10 dioceses, there were no priestly ordinations which are also unprecedented.
Newsroom (31/01/2023 8:43 PM, Gaudium Press) — For the first time in all of Germany, the number of seminarians has fallen below 50.
On January 25, The German Bishops’ Conference, DBK, published a preliminary survey regarding the number of candidates for the priesthood in the seminaries of the 27 dioceses throughout Germany in 2022.
However, the statistics do not specify the number of new seminarians in each diocese. Also, seminarians belonging to religious orders are not included.
For the first time, the number of seminarians fell below 50. In 2021, there were 56 and in 2020, exactly 54. The last time more than 100 new diocesan seminarians were registered was in 2016, with 103. In 2007, there were over 200 new seminarians. In conclusion, there is a clear downward trend in the number of seminarians throughout Germany.
According to the same survey, in 2022, only 33 were ordained priests. In 10 dioceses, there were no priestly ordinations which is also unprecedented. The Archdiocese of Cologne and the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart have the newest priests with 4 each.
Since 2007, when there were more than 100 ordinations, the number of ordinations has halved. In 2021, fewer than 50 diocesan priests were ordained in Germany. The year before, in 2020, there were 56 new priests. In 1994, there were 214 new priests.
There are 1.4 billion Catholics in the world. According to statistics, in 2021, there were 21.6 million Catholics in Germany, representing 26% of the population. Unfortunately, in 2021, 359,338 Catholics left the Catholic Church.
Compiled by Donna Smolders
