“Statistically speaking, the Church has grown, keeping pace with and even exceeding overall world population growth,” according to the report.
However, “the Church performed 2 million fewer baptisms in 2020 [marked by Covid lockdowns] than in 2013. The number of marriages declined by 702,246, or nearly a third. Confirmations and first Communions also dropped by 12% and 13%, respectively, despite relatively stable levels of Mass attendance in the world’s 13 most Catholic countries.”