STATISTICAL VIEW OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 41, 11 October 1900, Page 2

STATISTICAL VIEW OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

The following interesting paper, entitled a ' Statistical view of the Catholic Church,' contributed by Mr. M. G. Mulhall, the eminent statistician, was read at the Australasian Catholic Congress : The population of the World in 1898 was estimated at 1,450 millions, of whom little more than one-third were Christians, via :—

We find that more than one-half of mankind is still enveloped in I'.i^aniMn, ai d the degraded tenets of Mahomet hold eway among 1 many of the principal States of Asia and Afrira. If we proceed to clarify all Christiana under three heads, they will be found to stand thus —

In the preceding table the terra Greek Church is used to signify Russian Greek*, all portions of ft reck rite in union with the See of Rome being classified a-< Roman Catholics. Under the head of Pro-tes-.ta.nts are indued more than one hundred different seotfi, who profess one or other form of Christianity ; in a word, all who are not Roman Catholics or (J reeks. These Beets differ bo widely from one unoiher that some can hardly be called Christians ; some, for example appear to deny the Divinity of Christ, others to reject* tha rnvHtt-ry of the Holy Trinity. Meantime, if wo assume all classes of Protestaita to form one religion, their total number in relation to that of Roman Catholics would be an two to three. It would be interesting to ascertain, if po Bible, which phase of Christianity, Catholic* or Protestant, increase* numerically the faster. There em bo no doubt that the principal Protestant nations, such u^ Great Britain, Germany, and the United Stated States, are advaa-

cinq with rapid strides in population, whereas such Catholic countries as Franco, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal, have little or no increase yearly. But when we come to make a survey of the whole of Christendom, we find that, the numbers are preity equal. The following- table shows the annual surplus of births over deaths, that is the natural increase (exclusive of the returns f<>r the Greek Church), according to official returns for five years, ending December, 1807. the figures for each religion being in tho ratios corresponding to the latest census- reports, viz. :—: —

ANNUAL INuRLAftE

The above would be the annual increase if nobody changed from the religion of his parents, but it is notorious that numbers of Protestants in England and the United States pass over yearly to the Roman Catholic Church; whereas Protestantism gains few converts. Moreover, the missionary work in new countries prospers far more under Catholic than under Protestant auspices, as is admitted even by Protestants. This fact is attributed to tvyo causes • first, the life of self-denial and sacrifice led by Catholic missionaries ; Bscondly the attraction that Catholic worship offers by its ritual and ceremonies. Here it may be well to obnerve that most of the Catholic priests in India live on rice, like the natives, because by this means they more easily gain the confidence of the people, who have a certain aversion to all persons that eat meat. The American Statistical Association published the following returns as to the number of Christiana (excluding Greeks and Copts) in the various missionary countries in 1893 .—. —

* The English Catholic Register for IS9S gives the number as 1,870,000. The above total, according to the most reliable Protestant authority Bhows that in the above missionary countries Catholics are to Protestants almost as five to one. Nothing is more remarkable in the history of the Catholic Church than the progress it has made in English-speaking countries daring the present century. The latest figures to hand are as follows —

In the United Kingdom there are no fewer than 4 Hot) Catholic churches, almoit all built in the nineteenth century, and representing an outlay of at least 20 millions sterling. The progress of Catholicity in Great Britain is chiefly among the educated classes, as appears from a work just published by Swan and Sonnenschein, London, which states that since the Tractarian movement of 18.">o, the persons who ' hare gone over to the Church of Rome include 445 graduates of Oxford, 213 of Cambridge, and 63 of other universities, besides 27 peers, 244 military offl.-ers, 102 authors, 129 lawyers, and 60 physicians. Among thn graduates were 446 clergy- | men of the Established Church.' The secession of co large a number of distinguished persons from the Church of England to enter the Church of Rome, has b+-en accompanied by a re-action among the masses of the English people, who have gone over largely to the Methodist and other sects. This in apparent from the returns of marriages in England and Wales during 40 years in the different places of worship, showing the following ratios :—: —

In the decade ending lS(o the Church of England stood to Pi«sent<.rs as nine to one, but at present it is less than three to one. The Dissenters have gained what the Church of England has lost, while the ratio of Roman Catholics bun slightly fallen off in the lust, 10 years. We t-ee liiai m Lug'dh.l auJ Vi sir 0 n»>ly fnnr pr cent of the population iw Kom;m Catholic, us compared with eight per cent, in i>cottano, >i> per cent in In Itinl, If) p L r unt in <' l atinda, 1 I per cent, in the United Stales, and 22 per < enr. m Australia. The Roman Catholic hurar. hy of the United States recently celebratid the centennial (INV.i) o 't the consecration of the firso bishop. T)r. Carrol), of Baltimore, and so rapid ha« b(en the growth of Catholicity in that country that it now pobse-ses more bishops than Fran< c, Austria, or hp.un. There are. moreover, 10,500 churtht«. f,20 hospitals and asjlams, 930 colleges, and 3.100 schools built and maintained by Roman Catholics in the Union. Perhaps the progti'rs of Catholicity in the United States Vvill be better unde r "t')od if wecomp«r» the census returns of the various religions in 1 v.iO v,nh thone for 1850, viz, •—

Accorling to the foregoing official returns the relative progress of the Catholic religion between 1850 and I^9o was about double that of other creeds in the United States, the ratiO3 of increase bhowiug as tollowa —

Thus in 40 years Roman Catholio Churches multiplied 7-fold, and Chun h property 13-fold, while Methodists, Baptidts, or Presbyterians showed a much lower rate of progress. A« regards the two great colonies of Canada and Australia, the census oi 1801 gave the following returns as to religion .—. —

Catholic* hold the first place in Canada, the second in Australia. Summing up tho Satisfies of the Catholic Church we find 12O0OD priest* and 2lu uoo.oou of laity, while the prelate* acknowledging the authority ot tin Holiness Leo XIII. include IS4 Archbishops, 717 Bishops of dio eses, and 3i>2 Bishops m-partibas or Vicars Apostolici , in all, 12t3.5, of whom 11M7 belong to the Latin rite, 7G to Greek or Armenian.

United Kingdom... France Germany Russia Austria-H unwary Icaly ... Spain and Portugal ficandanavia Holland Belgium Switzerland Other countries ... Catholic. 5."> 000 10 000 240,000 80 000 36") .000 31!) 000 130,000 25,000 .-.:> 000 10.000 (i.OOO 385.000 420.000 30 (100 45 000 1 000 101 000 3<< 000 1 1 000 3 000 Tntal. 4400 it() 10 000 <>i>( 1,000 110 000 4 10.000 320 000 130 000 104 000 03000 f). r ),000 21 000 9,000 Europe United States Canada Australia Spanish America Weßt Indies 1,295,000 210,000 26,00<> 17,000 7H2 000 20,000 1 ,040,000 1,230.000 .•?:> 000 58,000 41,000 y 000 2,335.000 1.140,000 61.000 75.000 SOO 000 29,000 Total 2.300,000 2.380,000 4 740,000

India 'hina Siberia Fapan Syria, etc Catholic. 1,199 000* 1,116,000 70 000 30,000 6G3.000 1 rntestant b'M 000 8b OOU 2i I ( i(J< » '20 000 ts. To^al. 1.73,5000 1.2H4 000 ( J0 0' >0 :w 000 t;x:i (too \.sia Vfrica Manilla, Ja\a, etc., H. 078,000 2.('ii;u OHM 'j.7J0,000 ♦)<)2.<>iiO 1.7ft».0n0 22(l.<i(jn •; ; to o(io 'i '. 1 1 v (KiO Total 11,405,000 2,(i22,000 14 U.MJ OOU I >,M. 01

[reland ... England ... Scotland ... Canada . . Australia India, etc., Bishops. 28 17 7 31 16 42 1 nests. 3.4 JO 2,700 420 1,500 400 1,790 Churches. 2 7M 1,480 350 1.71)0 7M> 240 Souls. 3,550 000 1,500 000 3»;o 000 2,300 000 IXIO//UU 2,5y0,000 British Empire United States HI 91 10 250 10,'UO 7,100 10,600 1 1 200 000 y,85n.000 Total 232 21,l«0 I 7, .100 21,050,000

Church of England Floman Catholic Dihheuters 860 40 04 lHhfi-75. 7t;i 42 187i")-85. 720 43 237 188 C.-95, 607 261 Total 1,000 1,000 1.000 1,000

Etonian Catholic Me'hothet tJaptiht Presbyterian .No. of Churches. . 1.200 s.sit; . l 'i.noo •»(>.] 4o y tioo :-u;.«;~<i . . 4,bou 12,470 Value of Church property. l s:,o. i S9o. '• 1( Iu.OOO 118.000.000 i:. 200 000 m, 500,000 11,200.0(10 82 000.000 13,100,00u y 4, 500,00(1

[I. Catholics 'h. of England Methodists Presbyterians Baptists, \c. Lanada. l you 000 tw.->ooo *;>oono ::>:> 000 .->no 000 Australia. 801.000 l/iS.")000 434 000 49 ) 000 507,000 Total I 710.0U0 3.720,000

Churches. <'hurch ] urc proper property. yR. Catholic Methodiftt Baptist 1 reabyterian 18.">0. lsyu. 100 7.'i5 100 346 100 380 100 2GO 18-.0. 100 100 100 100 1890. 1,300 870 732 625

Europe America ... A-lrl Afrii'a Onauica ... Christians. :m.r>oo.ooo 12H.400 000 12 C>oo,ooo 4 ion ooq ;• Too 000 Mahomedans. 6,G00,000 ion 'flo,ooo m\ imo 000 24,71)0.000 Jews. 6,f.00,000 200,000 400,000 Pagans. 1,300.000 667.800,000 91,000 000 4,400,000 Total .".01, G 'O.OUO 17H 800,000 7.100.000 7(54,500,000

(. athohcH. United Kingdom .1.400,000 France ... :t7 700,000 Germany . . Is C.itO ojo Ru^ia . 8 .ion. Doo Austria-Hungary 33,8')0 ()«)() Italy 31,10(1 000 Spam-Portugal 22 700,000 Sc.iu hnuvi.i .. 10,000 Kt-lm mi \. Holland 7,1)1)0,000 ll v v in n n i a. Greece, eLc. I.'JUO.OOo Protestants. ,H,7(/(M)0O 700,00(1 :i2 70OO0U ,-t ioo.ouo ■(,100,000 f>o 000 io.ooo !' 2 ( Jo,oilo 2,710,000 4,130.000 Greeks. 78.800.000 .'1,300,000 12,400,000 Total. 40,100,000 33,400,000 :> 1,300.000 8.'),200,000 41,200,000 31.160,000 22,710,000 y 300,000 10,700,000 18,430,000 Europe . IC7 .".00,000 It:, 500,000 89,500,000 348,500,000 Patholicß. Europe . l<j7,.';dO 000 rnitnl States 'J, 1)00,000 Canada .. .. "J.looooo Spanish Americ.i 4r>.0i)l),00o West Indies 2,.Vi0 (ion A'l^trulia . . '.) jo,ooo IMiilippiue-*. etc. ."i,7'ioo ,o Ahia ... . .'! loo^too Africa il,7ooo()0 Proteitants. '.n.."ioo.ooo »i 2.300,000 2,1 50 D 000 100.000 I.l()0.OOO J.!*O0,0O0 'JoO.Ooo 700 000 1,700 000 Greeks. 8y.500,000 8,800,000 Total. 348,500,000 72,200,000 4,900 000 43,700,000 3,600,000 3,800.000 5,'J00.000 12,600,000 4,400,000 The World 210,000,00 M 1(13,300,000 98,300,000 001,600,000