Pope Francis boards an Alitalia airplane at Rome's Fiumicino International Airport

ANSA - TELENEWS

Statistics of Catholic Church in Bulgaria and North Macedonia

Holy Father’s Apostolic Journey May 5-7, 2019

Share this Entry

Statistics of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria and North Macedonia as of 31 December 2017 (from the Central Office for Church Statistics)
Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastical structure
Table 2 – People engaged in activities of the apostolate
Table 3 – Indicators of pastoral workload
Table 4 – Priestly Vocations
Table 5 – Educational centers owned/managed by ecclesiastics or religious
Table 6 – Charitable and social centers owned/managed by ecclesiastics or religious
 
The following are some statistical data relating to the situation of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria and North Macedonia as of 31 December 2017:
 
Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastical structure

  Bulgaria North Macedonia
Area (km2) 110,912 25,713
Population (in thousands) 7076 2075
Density (inhabitants/km2) 64 81
Catholics (in thousands) 68 15
Catholics per 100 inhabitants 0.96 0.72
Ecclesiastical circumscriptions 3 2
Parishes 55 10
Other pastoral centers 9
Catholics per pastoral center 1236 789

 
Table 2 – People engaged in activities of the apostolate

  Bulgaria North Macedonia
Bishops (situation on 31.03.2019) 4 1
Diocesan priests 21 21
Religious priests 36 1
Total priests 57 22
Permanent deacons 1
Men religious (other than priests) 5
Professed women religious 63 30
Members of Secular Institutes 2
Lay missionaries 3 6
Catechists 74 13

 
Table 3 – Indicators of pastoral workload

  Bulgaria North Macedonia
Catholics per priest 1193 682
Catholics per pastoral worker 325 208
Priests per pastoral center 1.04 1.16
Priests per 100 people engaged in activities of the apostolate 29.19 31.1

 
Table 4 – Priestly vocations

  Bulgaria North Macedonia
Minor seminarians 2
Major seminarians 1 5
Major seminarians per 100,000 inhabitants
 
0.001 0.24
Major seminarians per 100,000 Catholics 1.47 33.3
Major seminarians per 100 priests 1.75 22.7

 
Table 5 – Educational centres owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious

  Bulgaria North Macedonia
Schools:    
Pre-school and primary 2
Lower middle and secondary
Higher and university
     
Students in:    
Pre-school and primary schools 63
Lower middle and secondary schools
Higher and university institutes

 
Table 6 – Charitable and social centres owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious

  Bulgaria North Macedonia
Hospitals
Clinics 2
Leper colonies
Homes for the elderly and disabled 2 1
Orphanages and nurseries 4 1
Family consultation centres 2
Special centres of social education or rehabilitation
Other institutions
Share this Entry

Staff Reporter

Support ZENIT

If you liked this article, support ZENIT now with a donation