MORE COME TO THE LORD: Growth of Catholic Church outpacing world's general population

Anti-Catholics such as the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC^®) founded by Felix Manalo in the Philippines assertions that Catholics worldwide is dwindling now proven to be a LIE! -CD2000

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)

More people than ever before are now coming to the Lord. According to statistics published Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which reported worldwide Church figures as of December 31, 2012, the worldwide Catholic population had reached 1.228 billion. This represented an increase of 14 million, or 1.14 per cent. This slightly outpaces the global population growth rate, which, as of 2013, was estimated at 1.09 per cent.

It's estimated that there were about 4.8 million
Catholics that were not included in its
survey because they were in countries
that could not provide an accurate report
to the Vatican, mainly China and
North Korea.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Furthermore, the number of priests, permanent deacons and religious men all increased in 2012, while the number of women in religious orders continued to decline, according to Vatican statistics.

However, the number of candidates for the priesthood also showed its first global downturn in recent years.

Catholics as a percentage of the global population remained essentially unchanged from the previous year at around 17.5 per cent.

It's estimated that there were about 4.8 million Catholics that were not included in its survey because they were in countries that could not provide an accurate report to the Vatican, mainly China and North Korea.

The percentage of Catholics as part of the general population, according to the yearbook, is highest in the Americas where they make up 63.2 per cent of the continent's population. Asia has the lowest proportion, with 3.2 per cent.

There were 16.4 million baptisms of both infants and adults in 2012, according to the statistical yearbook. The number of bishops of the world stayed essentially the same at 5,133.

Both diocesan and religious priests internationally grew from 413,418 to 414,313, with a modest increase in Africa, a larger rise in Asia, and slight decreases in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Asia saw a 13.7 per cent growth in the number of priests between 2007 and the end of 2012.

One area that showed growth was in the number of permanent deacons reported. The figure of 42,104 deacons was an increase of more than 1,100 over the previous year and a 17 per cent increase since 2007. More than 97 per cent of the world's permanent deacons live in the Americas or in Europe.

However, the number of women in religious orders continued its downward trend. The total of 702, 529 temporarily and permanently professed sisters and nuns in 2012 was a 1.5 per cent decrease from the previous year and a 5.9 per cent fall since 2007.