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Believers gather at the Namugongo Shrine for the Martyrs’ Day Pilgrimage on June 3, 2024, in Uganda. The Catholic population in Africa surpassed 272.4 million people in 2022 after seeing a rise of more than 7.3 million people — the largest increase of any continent, according to Vatican statistics released in October 2024. / Credit: ACI Africa

Vatican Statistics: Catholic Population Shrinks in Europe, Rises in Africa and Everywhere Else

Oct 18, 2024

The Catholic population decline coincided with a total population reduction on the continent, which recorded a net loss of 517,000 people living in Europe over the year.

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Pope Francis delivers his Angelus address via a video livestream from his Casa Santa Marta residence within the Vatican due to a cold on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Calls for "ceasefire on all war fronts" at Christmas

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and gives an address from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at the Vatican. The pope delivered his marks indoors due to the intense cold, combined with cold symptoms that have manifested in recent days, the Holy See Press Office said. / Credit: Vatican Media

"No child is ever a mistake": Pope Francis at Sunday Angelus before Christmas

Blessed Jacques-Désiré Laval (right) and Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône (right). Credit: Catholic Diocese of Port Louis

Church 2025 Jubilee Year in Mauritius: “Journey in hope” Guided by Island’s “Apostle”, Spiritan Missionary Blessed Laval

Members of the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL). Credit: The Calabash Newspaper/Facebook

Pro-Abortion Activists Fabricating Maternal Death Statistics to Push for Abortion in Sierra Leone: Religious Leaders

Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE). Credit: CBCE

“Let’s lay aside the tools of war, destruction, division”: Ethiopia’s Catholic Bishops in Advent Message

Nigerian Christian mother of five Rhoda Jatau was acquitted of blasphemy charges after a two-and-a-half-year legal battle. / Credit: Photo courtesy of ADF International

Major Religious Freedom Win for Nigeria: Christian Mother Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges 

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A burned-out home in Munga Dosso, Taraba State, is among the many that were damaged in clashes between members of the United Methodist and Global Methodist churches. Two children, ages 4 and 2, were killed in the December attacks. Credit: Bishop John Schol.

Deadly Violence among Section of The United Methodist Church of Nigeria “very” Disappointing: Catholic Bishop

Members of the envisaged Association of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe (ACBC-MAZAZI) and Apostolic Nuncio in Zambia and Malawi, Archbishop Gian Luca Perici (in white). Credit: Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM)

Catholic Bishops in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe Urge “active participation” to Foster Solidarity in three-nation Sub-Region

Christmas lights line a street in Rome, Italy, Dec. 17, 2024. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Christmas in Rome As First Jubilee Pilgrims Arrive in Eternal City: PHOTOS

Nigerian Christian mother of five Rhoda Jatau was acquitted of blasphemy charges after a two-and-a-half-year legal battle. / Credit: Photo courtesy of ADF International

Major Religious Freedom Win for Nigeria: Christian Mother Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges 

Pope Francis addresses cardinals and senior Vatican officials during his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia, Dec. 21, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Warns against Gossip, Celebrates Family Life in Vatican Christmas Messages

Blessed Jacques-Désiré Laval (right) and Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône (right). Credit: Catholic Diocese of Port Louis

Church 2025 Jubilee Year in Mauritius: “Journey in hope” Guided by Island’s “Apostle”, Spiritan Missionary Blessed Laval

Members of the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL). Credit: The Calabash Newspaper/Facebook

Pro-Abortion Activists Fabricating Maternal Death Statistics to Push for Abortion in Sierra Leone: Religious Leaders

Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE). Credit: CBCE

“Let’s lay aside the tools of war, destruction, division”: Ethiopia’s Catholic Bishops in Advent Message

Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg in Germany. / Credit: Magdeburg Diocese

German Bishops Respond to Deadly Magdeburg Market Attack, Call for Prayer and Peace

Pope Francis prays during Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Prays for Victims As Death Toll in German Christmas Market Attack Reaches Five

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