Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) - In the whole of Spain, in 2010, only 162 priests were ordained and the average age of religious men in the country is 70. The vocation crisis is emptying seminaries and convents, and causes much concern within the Catholic Church which addressed several public appeals to Pope Benedict XVI to reverse a trend that sees relentless decline substantially in the number of members of many congregations, especially in Europe . Last year, in Spain in 40% of the dioceses there were no new vocations. The situation is not better in religious congregations which has seen a 30% decline. To try to cope with this emergency, the Confederation of the Religious in Spain is planning possible fusion to ensure the survival of some communities besides resorting to the aid of the 'Ley de dependencia' which deals with mainly assisting those that are not able to do so in some convents because of advanced age and delicate health conditions compared to the rest of the religious men. Aware of this situation and to attract potential new vocations, the Church took advantage of the Pope's visit at the recent World Youth Day which has just ended, to organize the so called "Feria Vocacional", a showcase of the spiritual offer of congregations and religious orders that the Catholic Church has in all five continents. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 23/08/2011)
