“We need priests”. With these words, the bishop of Tarazona, Vicente Rebollo Mozos, describes the situation of his diocese, marked by the scarcity of vocations, the aging of the clergy, and the lack of seminarians.
“We are few priests and many elderly”
In his letter, the prelate describes a situation marked by the lack of generational replacement. “There are many parishes, we are few priests, a few elderly ones who are still active”, he points out.
Currently, the diocese has 14 priests from other dioceses who collaborate in pastoral care, although their presence is temporary.
The situation is aggravated, as he explains, by the lack of vocations: “We have a very large seminary, but we have no seminarians”.
Call on the Day of the Seminary
The bishop frames his reflection in the celebration of the Day of the Seminary, which will take place on March 22 under the motto “Leave your nets… and follow me”.
In this context, he especially invites young people to rethink their lives and open themselves to Christ’s call, in contrast to a culture marked —as he indicates— by intensive use of social networks and individualism.
“The Lord calls”, he affirms, emphasizing the need to propose priestly vocation in families, parishes, catechesis, and educational centers.
Direct request to families
Rebollo Mozos also addresses an explicit message to parents and grandparents, asking them to bring this reality closer to young people.
“Show them this letter, invite them to read it”, he requests, while encouraging the promotion of spaces for vocational discernment and praying for new vocations.
The bishop insists on the importance of combining prayer and action to respond to this need, which he considers a priority for the life of the diocese.
A reality that contrasts with national data
The situation described in Tarazona occurs in a national context in which the number of seminarians shows a slight —very slight— recovery.
According to data from the Spanish Episcopal Conference, there are currently 1,066 seminarians in Spain, 30 more than the previous year. During this course, 201 new candidates for the priesthood have entered.
However, there has also been a decrease in presbyteral ordinations, which went from 85 in 2024 to 58 in 2025.
The challenge of vocations
The data highlight the need to strengthen vocational pastoral care and accompaniment of young people, in line with the objective of the Day of the Seminary campaign.
Although greater stability is observed in training processes —with fewer dropouts in advanced stages—, the Church in Spain continues to face the challenge of arousing new vocations in a complex social context.
In this scenario, the warning from the bishop of Tarazona reflects a concern shared in various dioceses: ensuring the presence of priests in the coming years.