October 22 celebrates the 97th anniverary of World Mission Sunday. This day is dedicated specifically to missionary activity around the world.
FR. KIERAN HARRINGTON
National Director, Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S.
So the first thing is that World Mission Sunday is about appreciation and love of the missions—from preaching about missions to talking about how can I serve the missions as a priest, religious or a lay person. And then also to support those who are actually serving in the mission territories.
To mark this day, Fides News Agency released the most recent edition of the “Church's Book of Statistics” with an overview of the Church worldwide. In relationship to the world population, the number of Catholics has grown by 16 million compared to the data from 2020. Yet with this rise in population, the percentage of Catholics in the world has decreased by about 0,06%.
However, all the continents except Europe have seen a rise in Catholics. For example, Africa continues to lead this increase with a rise of more than 8 million. And the President of the Pontifical Mission Societies from 2017 to 2022 described a reason for this.
ABP. GIAMPIETRO DAL TOSO
Former President of Pontifical Mission Societies
October 2021
We see our Churches flourishing in the areas where missionaries have been working. They have given everything there. People's sacrifices bear fruit. I could list many examples, some dramatic, of people who have done so.
The Fides report also shows a decrease in priests in Europe by almost 4,000 and in the Americas, a decrease of almost 1,000.
At the same time, the Catholic Church continues to be an important part of the health and education sectors. Fides reports that the Church cares for more than 2 million high school students and almost 4 million university students.
There are also more than 5,000 hospitals, almost 10,000 orphanages and more than 3,000 rehabilitation centers run by the Catholic Church throughout the world.
KG
