News Vatican Information Service 09/07/2010

SUMMARY:

- Statistics for the Catholic Church in Great Britain
- Other Pontifical Acts

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STATISTICS FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN GREAT BRITAIN

VATICAN CITY, 7 SEP 2010 (VIS) - For the occasion of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to the United Kingdom, due to take place from 12 to 15 September and during which he will beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, statistics concerning the Catholic Church in that country have been published. The information, updated to 31 December 2009, comes from the Central Statistical Office of the Church.

  Great Britain has a surface area of 230,762 square kilometres and a population of 59,381,000 of whom 5,264,000 (8.87 percent) are Catholic. There are 32 ecclesiastical circumscriptions and 2,977 parishes. Currently there are 59 bishops, 5,225 priests, 6,497 religious, 160 lay members of secular institutes and 34,669 catechists. Minor seminarians number 2, and major seminarians 245.

  A total of 806,334 children and young people attend 2,828 centres of Catholic education, from kindergartens to universities. Other institutions belonging to the Church, or run by priests or religious in Great Britain include 8 hospitals, 1 clinic, 171 homes for the elderly or disabled, 79 orphanages and nurseries, 94 family counselling centres and other pro-life centres, 147 centres for education and social rehabilitation, and 31 institutions of other kinds.
OP/                                                                                                   VIS 20100907 (200)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 7 SEP 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archieparchy of Homs, Emesa of the Greek-Melkites, Syria, presented by Archbishop Isidore Battikha B.A., in accordance with canon 210 para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
RE/                                                                                                   VIS 20100907 (60)

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