In Mexico, the lack of religious devotion, such as the priesthood or consecrated life, has fallen by 50% in just three decades —according to estimates from the Mexican Bishops' Conference—. This is mainly because religious communities in the country are left without generational replacement, particularly in the northern and southern zones, where Catholicism was the most dominant doctrine. Less than 20 years ago, seminaries in the Bajío region trained hundreds of religious; however, today they operate with only half of those students. "If I take a closer look at the seminaries in Mexico, because I have contacts with presbyteries at the national level, I think the effect is the same or sometimes even more radical," commented Father Ricardo Veloz. Therefore, Father Ricardo Veloz pointed out that dioceses such as León, Guadalajara, and San Juan de los Lagos face similar situations, even though they are considered by ecclesiastical authorities as bastions of Catholicism in Mexico. "From the Mexican Bishops' Conference, the culture of religious vocation is promoted, supporting all vocations: marriage, the priesthood, and religious life. Monastic life involves greater renunciation, and in a world full of stimuli, it is more difficult for someone to choose a life of silence and contemplation," he explained. The priest also detailed that the most critical areas of the country with this situation are: Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Durango, Chiapas, Tabasco, Oaxaca, and some areas of the Bajío, where the lack of nuns has forced ecclesiastical authorities to close convents. "In Aguascalientes, for example, out of 312 priests, about 220 are under 40 years old. Similarly, convents are facing a critical scenario: aging, a scarcity of new members, and even closures. In an interview with Publimetro, Ricardo Veloz Cuéllar, executive secretary of the Episcopal Dimension of the Clergy, commented that this problem is not exclusive to Mexico but is a crisis that the Catholic Church is experiencing worldwide. "It is a multifactorial phenomenon; on the one hand, we live in an era marked by digital technology, such as social networks and artificial intelligence, which distract young people from the spiritual," he said. Likewise, the priest also stated that the lack of religious vocation in new generations is due to a lack of identity, which makes it difficult for young people to assume firm commitments such as the priestly or religious life.
