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we have seen 25 years in which the growing crisis in the Church has deteriorated steadily

On April 3, 2000 the Holy See released an annual statistical summary of the world's Catholic population. It shows an increase in the number of Catholics globally, with a slightly higher growth rate than in the overall world population.

There were 17.4 baptized Catholics for every 100 people in the world by the end of 1998. (About 1.04 billion Catholics).

World Catholics by Location:

Nearly 1/2 of the world's Catholics live in the Western Hemisphere
30 % in Latin America
15 % in North America
30 % in Europe
12 % in Africa
Asia, the most populous continent, boasts only 12 % with most of those Catholics in Southeast Asia.
1 % Oceania
Since 1978, Europe has fewer Catholics, Africa and Asia more.

# of Catholic Bishops:
Large Increase 4,439 up from 3,714 in 1978. Greatest increases in Africa.

# of Priests Worldwide:
Declined from 420,971 in 1978 to 404,626 today, especially high in Europe and North America.

# of Religious Order Priests:
Declined from 158,486 in 1978 to 140,424 today

# of Diocesan Priests:
Increased slightly 264,202 from 262,485 in 1978, with lively growth in vocations in Africa.

The decline in the number of priests may soon reverse because more are studying for the priesthood.

# of Seminarians:
Increased to 109,171 from 62,670 in 1978. Again, the growth is most visible in Africa, with Latin America not too far behind.

Thank You Lord, for our Priests and Seminarians who have answered Your call.

Interesting stats. source?

You will be denounced as having quoted false statistics.

On April 3, 2000 the Holy See released an annual statistical summary of the world's Catholic population. It shows an increase in the number of Catholics globally, with a slightly higher growth rate than in the overall world population.

The number of Catholics here on earth is a non-issue. The number of Catholics who make it to Heaven is what matters.

There are many people who respond to pollsters as Catholics who haven't stepped foot in a Church in years. The numbers are meaningless.

The figures you post are bogus. Why? Because they count as Catholic anyone who has been baptized. As you must know, this is no barometer to indicate who is a practicing Catholic--and even less is it a barometer to judge the spiritual health of the Church. Mass attendance is a much better guage and it has dropped from 80%+ in the early sixties to around 17%--and falling--today. The loss of faith in major Catholic dogmas such as the Real Presence is an even better determinant.