Catholic News

• New Vatican statistics note 'downward trend' in Catholic baptisms worldwide (CNS)
  The number of seminarians around the world has also declined. After surging from 63,882 in 1978 to 120,616 in 2011, the number of seminarians has steadily fallen over the last decade and now stands at 109,895 (the lowest figure since 1999).
• Spanish bishops' abuse report finds that nearly 83% of victims are male (Conferencia Episcopal Española)
  The Spanish Episcopal Conference has released a report summarizing the testimony of 927 victims of sexual abuse about 728 abusers within Catholic institutions. With data that mirrored the experience of the United States, the report found that the vast majority of abuse (nearly 83%) was homosexual in nature and that more abuse took place in […]
• Naked man jumps on altar of St. Peter's Basilica to protest Ukraine war (Reuters)
  The incident took place two weeks after a car rushed through a Vatican gate and was fired upon by gendarmes.
• Thousands of European churches open for 'night of the churches' (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
  In Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the South Tyrol region of Italy, thousands of churches will simultaneously be open on the evening of June 2 for sacred music concerts and other events. 800 churches will be open in Austria, with 600 offering guided tours; 70 churches and chapels will be open in South Tyrol; […]