Catholics

The Catholic Church has approximately 1.4 billion members globally. It is the largest religion in Europe and the Americas. There are over 150 million Catholics in Asia and over 250 million in Africa.

^{Source: Statistics from 2023 taken from Fides, the news agency for the Pontifical Mission Societies.}

In England and Wales

There are approximately 6.2 million Catholics in England and Wales, making it the largest religious minority. 1.75 million Catholics attend Mass on a regular basis.

The most ‘Catholic’ areas are Greater London and the Northwest of England.

Women make up more of the Catholic population than men, with three women (59%) to every two men (41%).

^{Source: These figures, reported by the Benedict XVI Centre for Religion and Society at St Mary’s University, are pre-pandemic statistics that were published in 2018. The Covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted on figures for Mass-goers in England and Wales although numbers are recovering towards pre-pandemic levels.}

Churches

There are 22 dioceses in England and Wales with almost 3,000 churches. They exist as sacred, prayerful spaces to practise our faith and celebrate significant life moments through baptisms, marriages, funerals and even graduations and carol services.

^{Source: Taking Stock – a Bishops’ Conference project that provides an architectural and historical assessment of churches in regular use for public worship.}

Education

The Catholic Church’s 2,169 schools constitute 10% of the state-funded sector, as the largest provider of secondary and second largest of primary education.

They outperform UK averages at GCSE Maths and English while educating more pupils from the most deprived areas.

Staff and pupils are considerably more ethnically diverse than in other schools, with nearly twice as many black students.

There are also 26 Catholic schools for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which work as partners with local authorities on placements.

^{Source: These figures come from the Catholic Education Service census.}

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is the permanent assembly of Catholic Bishops and Personal Ordinaries in the two member countries. The membership of the Conference comprises the Archbishops, Bishops and Auxiliary Bishops of the 22 Catholic Dioceses of England and Wales.

The other members are: The Bishop of the Forces (Military Ordinariate), the Apostolic Eparch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Great Britain, the Apostolic Eparch for Syro-Malabar Catholics in Great Britain, and the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The emeritus bishops of England and Wales are members of the Conference without deliberative vote. The Bishop of Gibraltar and the Apostolic Prefect of the Falkland Islands are invited observers to the Conference meetings.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has six departments: Catholic Education and Formation, Christian Life and Worship, Evangelisation and Discipleship, Dialogue and Unity, International Affairs and Social Justice.

It also has six Directorates: Mission, Communications, Policy and Research, Partnerships and Public Affairs, Finance and General Administration. The bishops meet in Plenary Assembly twice a year (Spring and Autumn) and the General Council (Standing Committee) of the Conference meets quarterly.

^{Source: CBCEW}