As Pope Francis prepares for his December 2-6 apostolic journey, the Vatican Press Office released the statistics below on the Catholic Church in Cyprus and Greece.
***
Statistics of the Catholic Church in Cyprus and Greece as of 31 December 2019 (from the Central Office for Church Statistics)
Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastical structure
Table 2 – People engaged in activities of the apostolate
Table 3 – Indicators of pastoral workload
Table 4 – Priestly vocations
Table 5 – Educational centers owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious
Table 6 – Charitable and social centers owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious
The following are some statistical data relating to the situation of the Catholic Church in Cyprus and Greece as of 31 December 2019:
Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastical structure
| Cyprus | Greece | |
| Area (km2) | 9,251 | 131,957 |
| Population (in thousands) | 850 | 10,867 |
| Density (inhabitants/km2) | 92 | 82 |
| Catholics (in thousands) | 38 | 133 |
| Catholics per 100 inhabitants | 4.47 | 1.22 |
| Ecclesiastical circumscriptions | 1 | 11 |
| Parishes | 16 | 79 |
| Other pastoral centers | 1 | 16 |
| Catholics per pastoral center | 2,235 | 1,397 |
Table 2 – People engaged in activities of the apostolate
| Cyprus | Greece | |
| Bishops (situation at 31.10.2021) | 1 | 12 |
| Diocesan priests | 13 | 58 |
| Religious priests | 33 | 36 |
| Total priests | 46 | 94 |
| Permanent deacons | 3 | 6 |
| Men religious (other than priests) | 8 | 26 |
| Professed women religious | 45 | 84 |
| Members of secular Institutes | – | – |
| Lay missionaries | 230 | 6 |
| Catechists | 50 | 143 |
Table 3 – Indicators of pastoral workload
| Cyprus | Greece | |
| Catholics per priest | 826 | 1,412 |
| Catholics per pastoral worker | 99 | 358 |
| Priests per pastoral center | 2.71 | 0.99 |
| Priests per 100 people engaged in activities of the apostolate | 12.27 | 28.57 |
Table 4 – Priestly vocations
| Cyprus | Greece | |
| Minor seminarians | – | 2 |
| Major seminarians | 2 | 19 |
| Major seminarians per 100,000 inhabitants | 0.24 | 0.17 |
| Major seminarians per 100,000 Catholics | 5.26 | 14.31 |
| Major seminarians per 100 priests | 4.35 | 20.21 |
Table 5 – Educational centers owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious
| Cyprus | Greece | |
| Schools: | ||
| Pre-school and primary | 10 | 19 |
| Lower middle and secondary | 4 | 8 |
| Higher and university | – | – |
| Students in: | ||
| Pre-school and primary schools | 1,298 | 4,274 |
| Lower middle and secondary schools | 607 | 3,005 |
| Higher and university institutes | – | – |
Table 6 – Charitable and social centers owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious
| Cyprus | Greece | |
| Hospitals | – | 1 |
| Clinics | – | – |
| Leper colonies | – | – |
| Homes for the elderly and disabled | 6 | 5 |
| Orphanages and nurseries | – | 1 |
| Family consultation centers | 1 | – |
| Special centers of social education or rehabilitation | 1 | 2 |
| Other institutions | 23 | 7 |
