By Polly Tickle
In a desperate plea to the heavens, Pope Francis has urged religious orders to pray for new priests and nuns as their numbers continue to plummet. The pontiff’s call for divine intervention comes as the Catholic Church faces a priest shortage crisis, with the number of men and women joining religious orders falling off a cliff in recent years.
“We must pray for new vocations to the priesthood and religious life,” the pope said in a rare July audience with members of various religious orders. “Without new priests and nuns, the future of our orders is at risk.”
The decline in religious vocations is a global phenomenon, with the number of Catholic priests and nuns from Europe and parts of the Americas in free fall. Meanwhile, new priests in the Global South have helped limit the overall global decline; however, this has not been enough to offset the dramatic drop, especially among female religious orders. On a global scale, female religious orders have been shedding around 10,000 members per year to death and desertions for over a decade.
The downward trends have prompted some orders to collapse and others to scale down and sell off properties so that aging members can be cared for in their final years. This has resulted in a consolidation of resources and a significant loss of the Church’s presence and influence in various communities. In some regions, vital services that were once provided by these orders, such as education and healthcare, have been severely affected.
Pope Francis has urged religious superiors to not lower the bar to admission to mitigate lower numbers, encouraging the priests, brothers, and nuns to be careful in training new recruits. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the quality and depth of spiritual formation. The pontiff highlighted that the future of religious life should not just be about numbers, but about building a strong, devoted, and capable community that can continue the mission of the Church.
Furthermore, Pope Francis called on the faithful to support vocations through not just prayer but active engagement and encouragement. He stressed the need for a supportive environment that fosters spiritual growth and an understanding of the importance of religious life in the modern world. The Pope’s exhortation comes at a critical time, as the Church navigates through numerous challenges, both internal and external, and seeks to renew its commitment to serving communities worldwide.