NUMBER OF CATHOLIC CLERGY FALLS
The Vatican reports a further dramatic fall in the number of Roman Catholic monks and nuns worldwide. The number of men and women belonging to religious orders fell by 10% to just under a million between 2005 and 2006. During the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, the number of Catholic nuns worldwide declined by 25%. The downward trend accelerated despite a steady increase in Catholic Church membership to more than 1.1 billion.
(Source: The Source Daily, 2/6/08)