The rosary, recited in 13 languages, also marked the 75th anniversary of the World Mission Rosary by Blessed Fulton Sheen.

On average each day, over the last 100 years in mission territories, the Church has seen more than 9,000 people becoming Catholic, two priestly ordinations, and five women taking vows as religious.

The Catholic Church has 407,421 priests, 425 more than the previous year. Africa and Asia are driving this growth, while Europe recorded another decline.