Bamberg (Fides Service) - According to the Catholic Missions Council Deutscher Katholischer Missionsrat, DKMR there are 2,816 Catholic priests, religious and lay persons engaged in mission all over the world. Most of them 2,556 are men and women members of missionary orders (1,556 Sisters, 785 priests and 215 Brothers). In addition there are 175 diocesan priests on mission “fidei donum” and 85 lay missionaries.
German missionaries working in the world are distributed as follows: 1.180 (42%) in Africa; 1.160 (41%) in Latin America; 430 (15,5%) in Asia and 48 (1,7%) in Eastern European countries.
Compared to 2003, the number of German missionaries is lower by 4% (116 persons). The information was collected by DKMR and published on 26 January 2005.
DKMR comprises all Catholic mission organisations in Germany including (dioceses, diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies, missionaries institutes and orders. It aims to be a bridge between the Catholic Church in Germany and the young Churches in Asia, Oceania, Africa and Latin America. (MS) (Agenzia Fides, 28/01/2005 - 20 righe, 237 parole)
For more information on DKMR
www.missionsrat.de