Last year, only 27 priests were ordained in germany, and in 11 dioceses, there were no ordinations at all, including in the diocese of the president of the episcopate.
Newsroom (04/04/2025 23:15, Gaudium Press) In 2024, just 27 priests were ordained for the 27 German dioceses, marking a regrettable historic low.
This figure is in addition to the already reported 321,611 Catholics who formally left the Church last year in Germany.
Since 1962, when there were 557 diocesan ordinations, this number has fallen steadily. However, the annual total has never been less than 30.
In fact, in 2004 (20 years ago), 122 new priests were ordained. In 2014, 75 were registered. In 2022, there was a total of only 33 and, in 2023, 35.
Last year, eleven of Germany’s 27 dioceses did not ordain priests, including the diocese of Limburg, under the dubious leadership of CKV, Bishop Georg Batzing, one of the exponents of the controversial German synodal path and president of the German episcopate. In 2023, the diocese of Limburg did not register any new priests.
However, as noted above, these statistics do not lead CKV Bishop Batzing to deeply question the pastoral damage of his church model.
Commenting on statistics showing that 10,800 Catholics formally left his diocese in 2024, Bätzing said: “We should not ignore these figures. They challenge us to ask ourselves again: who are we here for as a Church?‘
“The Good News has not diminished, but it must be communicated to people in a different and reliable way. That is why we need new paths, courageous steps and, above all, the firm will to orientate ourselves towards reality.”
With Files from The Pillar
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
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