Poland Priests in Demand to Fill Europe

In the midst of a continent that suffers from priest-shortage, Poland is the only country in Europe that is overflowing with priests.

|TOP|Although Poland has traditionally sent missionaries to countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, Polish priests are increasingly in demand to fill in the rest of the continent, as a quarter of all young men train to become Roman Catholic priests in Europe are Polish.

There are already more than 100 Polish priests working in England and Wales.

Along with 7,131 other people in Poland, 171 young men are preparing for the priesthood at the seminary in Lublin in south-eastern Poland alone.

Although Spain’s population is similar to Poland, it had fewer than 1,800 seminarians in 2001.

As the most Catholic country in Europe, Poland is strongly influenced by the late Polish pope. A year after his death, John Paul's legacy still towers over the nation.

During his recent visit to Poland, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Polish clergy at Warsaw Cathedral.

He told them: "Do not be afraid to leave your secure and familiar world, to go and serve in places where priests are lacking and where your generosity can bear abundant fruit."