How many Catholic saints are there?

THE Catholic church It is the one that accumulates the most followers all over the world. It is estimated that there are approximately 1.3 billion believers who profess this religion. Far from diminishing, more and more people are deciding, through baptism, to carry on this legacy.

According to official data from Vaticanthere were in the world In 2021, 1,378 million Christians were baptized, which represents 1.3% more than in 2020, a percentage slightly lower than the growth of the population on earth, which grew by 1.6% in the same period.

In the world

In Africa There was a 3.1% increase in the number of Catholics. In Europe remained stable compared to the same period of the previous year. Therefore, inside Asia It’s inside America They increased the number of baptisms by 1%.

So in 2021 Catholics represented 17 percent of the population world population. The proportion of faithful distributed across planet Earth has remained stable in recent years.

In America It is there that the percentage is highest: 64 citizens out of 100 are Catholic. Europe follows, with a rate of 39 per hundred inhabitants. And in third place is Oceania with 25 out of 100.

Less and less treatment?

The same data released by the Vatican confirms that, although the number of Catholics in the world is growing, fewer and fewer people decide to dedicate their lives to religion.

In 2021, there were 462,388 clerics, 5,340 bishops, 407,872 priests and 49,176 deacons in the world. If compared to 2020 it is 0.4 percent less

How many saints does the Catholic Church have?

In addition to the faithful, during the pontificate of the Saints the growth of saints and canonized people increased Pope francescoelected supreme leader of the Catholic Church in 2013. This is because he has focused on accelerating the canonization process to recognize contemporary examples of sainthood.

It is estimated that there are some around 10 thousand saints Catholics in the world officially recognized by the Church. The canonization process is fundamental to understanding how a saint is born in the Catholic Church.

An investigation first begins in the diocese of the original city of the person to be identified, which then reviews the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, based in Rome.

If the congregation approves of the cause, that person can be considered “venerable.” To advance to the next level, a miracle attributed to the candidate after his death must be confirmed.

The next step is the beatification. To obtain canonization it is necessary to verify a second miracle attributed after beatification. Only there can one obtain the title of saint for the Christian religion. Only in those cases is it deemed appropriate to venerate him.

Since being elected, Pope Francis has decided to expand the pantheon of saints by recognizing people who have led “exemplary lives of virtue” with a more inclusive approach that aims to reflect the diversity of the Church and highlight modern examples of holiness.