Half a Million Catholics Just Left the Church in Germany

The Catholic Church in Germany is grappling with an unprecedented crisis as new figures released by the German Bishops' Conference on June 28 reveal that over half a million baptized Catholics chose to leave the Church in 2022. According to CNA Deutsch, this represents the highest number of departures ever recorded, with 522,821 individuals deciding to sever their ties with the Church.

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Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
6/28/2023 (10 months ago)

Published in Europe

Keywords: Catholics, 500, 000, Church, schism, faith, crisis

When accounting for deaths, the total number of departures surpassed 708,000, presenting a stark contrast to the 155,173 baptisms and 1,447 new members recorded during the same period. These figures signify a historic negative trend, with the number of departures doubling from over 270,000 in 2020 to the current record-breaking figure.

Despite the mass exodus, Church statistics for 2022 indicate that nearly 21 million people in Germany remained officially Catholic by the end of the year, accounting for 24.8% of the country's resident population of 84.4 million.

The release of these statistics has left several German bishops dismayed. Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau referred to the numbers as "frighteningly high," while Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg acknowledged the Church's urgent need to regain trust through patience and credibility.

Bishop Georg Batzing of Limburg, president of the German Bishops' Conference, emphasized on his diocese's website that the figures are "alarming" and underscore the necessity for ongoing "cultural change" and the implementation of resolutions put forth by the German Synodal Way.

Reasons for these departures vary, with older individuals citing the Church's handling of the abuse crisis, while younger generations often express discontent with the obligation of paying church tax, according to earlier studies.

Currently, the German Bishops' Conference stipulates that leaving the Church results in automatic excommunication, a regulation that has sparked controversy among theologians and canon lawyers.

A 2019 forecast by a project conducted by scientists at the University of Freiburg predicts that the number of Christians paying church tax in Germany will decrease by half by 2060.

Despite the ongoing crisis, the Church witnessed a slight increase in Mass attendance in 2021, rising from 4.3% to 5.7%, likely influenced by the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which hindered the celebration of many sacraments. Additionally, the number of church weddings increased from just over 20,000 in the previous year to 35,467 in 2022.

It's important to note that the figures released by the German Bishops' Conference do not include data on confessions, as this sacrament is not included in their statistical records.