Declining Numbers of Clergymen

Another reason for the closing down of many churches in Italy is the shortage of priests. This scarcity is a consequence of the so-called vocational crisis.

Regarding this the monthly clergy magazine Vita Pastorale admits: “During the two millenniums of its history the Church has experienced various crises from either within or without. We have overcome these difficulties at the cost of divisions and setbacks, the effects of which can still be felt today. However, a similar lack of vocations, in turn the cause and effect of other no less fatal crises, has never been known before. Many people rightly wonder what the Church will be like in ten years’ time when members of the clergy and religious orders will be older and reduced by half.”

The publication Gazzetta del Sud reports that in the diocese of Reggio Calabria alone there are “already 15 parishes without a priest.” According to La Stampa, in the diocese of Turin 12 parishes “are about to be left without a priest.” Some of these churches open their doors just once a year to celebrate a special Catholic festival.