[Loyalist]

In 1978, the total of diocesan and religious priests was 420,000; at the end of 2001 their number had dropped to 405,067.

The study revealed a more complicated situation in regard to women religious. In 1978, they numbered 990,768; now they total 792,317.

As opposed to the case of seminarians, there is no significant growth in the number of women entering novitiates. In this case also, the most notable decrease has been registered in Europe, North America and Oceania.

The bad news far outweighs the good here.

[ninenot]

How so?

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Most of the net of the losses is attirbutable to the AmChurch.