Catholic seminaries worldwide see 14,000 fewer students

Seminarian in a Catholic educational institution in Europe. Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

On September 23, 2025, Meduza reported, citing The Wall Street Journal, that the number of students in Catholic seminaries worldwide has dropped sharply. Since 2011, the number of seminarians has decreased by about 14,000 – down to 106,500 in 2023.

At the same time, the number of Catholics worldwide has doubled over the past half century, while the number of priests has declined. The situation is most difficult in Europe: in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Seminary, which once had up to 500 students, now admits on average only 15 a year. In Italy, Venegono Seminary has just 54 students left, whereas ten years ago there were three times as many.

Other institutions have also closed: St. John’s Seminary in southern England, built for 100 students, shut down in 2021. In Asia, the number of seminarians fell by 4.2% in 2023; Latin America is also experiencing decline. Growth is registered only in Africa, and it is minimal – around 1.1%.

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged the crisis and appealed to young people not to fear becoming priests. “Despite the difficulties, God continues to call and remains faithful to His promises,” the pontiff told seminarians in Rome.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Islamists in Nigeria shot dead a Catholic priest.

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