Germany’s priestly ordinations hit record low
May 28, 2025
» Continue to this story on Pillar
CWN Editor's Note: The number of ordinations for the German Catholic Church hit a record low in 2025, with just 29 new priests ordained.
Of the country’s 27 dioceses and archdioceses, only five ordained more than two priests, and only one (Trier) ordained four. The decline in ordinations continues a long and steady downward trend since 1962, when 557 men were ordained.
The disastrous collapse of Catholicism in Germany is confirmed by official statistics from the bishops’ conference showing that more than 320,000 people formally left the Catholic Church last year—again confirming a trend. More than 2 million Catholics officially renounced the faith the in past decade. That figure is more than twice the number of active Catholics who attend Mass in Germany each week.
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
