Society - Good and bad news for the church: people leaving the church
Is this good news for the Catholic Church now? Or bad? The good news first: In Baden-Württemberg, there were fewer people who left the Catholic Church last year compared to the previous year. And the bad news? Thousands of believers still left their church.
The Catholic Church lost over 63,800 members through departures in the Southwest last year, according to the German Bishops' Conference in Bonn. The number of departures in the previous year was even higher: Around 81,500 Catholics had left the church in 2022. The numbers from the evangelical regional churches are lower in total.
In the Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, the third largest in Germany after Cologne and Münster, nearly 30,000 Christians turned their backs on the church. The church still has approximately 1.62 million Catholics. The numbers from the Archdiocese of Freiburg have also been released. Approximately 33,800 people left the church there last year. There are now approximately 1.6 million Catholics living there.
"For years, it's been the same picture," said Freiburg Archbishop Stephan Burger. "When the church statistics are announced, worry, confusion, and sometimes resignation spread." However, he also draws optimism from the numbers: "We are many, and we are strong," he said. Hundreds of thousands of believers engaged in volunteer work within and outside the church and stabilized society. "The situation for the church in Germany is serious, but I am not afraid for the church," he added.
The total number and each individual departure hurts, said the administrator of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Clemens Stroppel. "The crises of our world and time unsettle and demand future-oriented answers from all of society. They open up questions about the meaning and purpose of our lives in this world for many people," he said. He sees a chance for the church: It can make an indispensable contribution of hope, trust, and solidarity. "For countless people, the church provides various concrete forms of life support and help," he added.
However, the wave of departures is not limited to the Catholic Church. Protestants are also leaving their church in large numbers. The Evangelical Church in Baden reported, according to earlier statements, a loss of over 21,700 members through departures last year, which was slightly fewer than the previous year (departures 2022: 22,149). In the Württemberg Church, the number of departures was around 32,200, which was slightly lower than in the previous year (33,458).
Besides church departures, deaths are also reasons for the decline. Baptisms, entries, and readmissions cannot make up for the departures for Catholics and Protestants. For example, in the Archdiocese of Freiburg, only 93 entries and 379 readmissions, as well as about 10,000 baptisms, were recorded last year – but around 18,950 members died.
And despite the loyal followers, the churches are often empty during Mass: According to the Bishops' Conference statistics, only 6.2% of members attended a service nationwide last year. Two decades ago, the attendance rate was still 15.2%. In the Archdiocese, it was 5.3% last year, and in Rottenburg-Stuttgart, it was 6.4%.
- The German Bishops' Conference in Bonn reported a decrease in members leaving the Catholic Church in Baden-Württemberg last year compared to 2022.
- The Minister in Bonn, where the German Bishops' Conference is located, may have been unaware of this positive news for the Catholic Church in Baden-Württemberg.
- The Catholic Church in Rottenburg-Stuttgart, the third largest in Germany, saw nearly 30,000 members leave the church last year, according to the Diocese's news.
- In contrast, the Minister in the city of Rottenburg might have expressed concern over the high number of departures from the Catholic Church in their region.
- The Catholic Church in Freiburg, located in Baden-Württemberg, also reported a decrease in members, with approximately 33,800 leaving the church last year.
- The Minister in Freiburg might have found solace in Freiburg Archbishop Stephan Burger's optimistic remarks about the church's strength and volunteer work.
- Despite these departures, the Catholic Church in Germany continues to have a significant presence, with over 1.6 million Catholics in the Rottenburg-Stuttgart Diocese and around 1.6 million in the Freiburg Archdiocese.
- The wave of departures from the Catholic Church is not unique to Germany; even the Church in Baden reports a decrease in members, with 21,700 leaving in 2023 (implied from the text's context).
