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Pope Leo XIV is set to ordain eight new priests for the Diocese of Rome next weekend.
While most European dioceses would envy ordaining eight priests in a single year, it’s one of the smallest Roman ordination cohorts on record, after just six new priests were ordained in 2020 and 2017, and just five in 2011.
Priests in Saint Peter’s Square. Credit: Stephen Bisgrove / Alamy.The Diocese of Rome is aided by hundreds of foreign priests coming for studies and religious priests serving in their Roman houses and institutions, which guarantees there will be no shortage of priests in the pope’s diocese in the foreseeable future.
However, the number of priests working in the Diocese of Rome nearly halved between 2000 and 2023, while the number of seminarians at the Pontifical Roman Seminary also halved between 2009 and 2026.
What do the numbers show about the true vocational situation in the pope’s diocese? Who are the priests of Rome? Where are they from? How old are they?
The Pillar takes a look.
Ordinations
As the epicenter of Catholicism, Rome had long enjoyed a significant number of vocations to priesthood and a full seminary.
However, that has changed in recent years.
For example, there were 21 priests ordained in
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