Flores island supplies priests to a global church
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On Flores, an Indonesian island, young men are increasingly choosing to become Catholic priests and serve communities around the world.
The island, with a population of two million, is approximately 80% Roman Catholic, a legacy of 16th-century Portuguese missionaries. Multiple seminaries on Flores currently train over 4,150 students, preparing them in Catholic teachings and pastoral care.
These priests are then sent to serve in countries including the United States, several nations in Africa, and across Europe, filling a growing need as the number of priests declines in many parts of the world. The Catholic Church views Flores as crucial for its future, particularly as vocations decrease in Europe and North America due to scandals and secularisation. Bishop Ciprianus Hormat of Ruteng, a diocese on Flores, stated that faith remains strong on the island.
While the global Catholic population has more than doubled since 1970 to 1.4 billion, the number of priests has stayed stable at around 400,000, making Flores' contribution all the more important. A growing percentage of new priests now come from Asia and Africa, where the priesthood is still widely respected.
