Post by FilmFlaneur on Jun 30, 2023 10:58:40 GMT
The Catholic church in Germany has revealed it is losing followers like never before, with more than half a million people deciding to renounce their membership last year.
According to the Bonn-based German Bishops’ Conference, 522,821 people left the church in 2022, a number far surpassing predictions made by the institution itself and higher than most observers had expected. The previous record year for departures was set in 2021 when just under 360,000 people left.
Thomas Schüller, a canon lawyer, said the church would struggle to recover from the fallout. “The Catholic church is dying a painful death in full view of the public,” he told German media....
The Protestant church, which has also been beset by abuse scandals, has been losing members at an alarming rate as well, with 380,000 people turning their backs on it in 2022. According to last year’s figures, it has 19.5 million members in Germany.
According to the Bonn-based German Bishops’ Conference, 522,821 people left the church in 2022, a number far surpassing predictions made by the institution itself and higher than most observers had expected. The previous record year for departures was set in 2021 when just under 360,000 people left.
Thomas Schüller, a canon lawyer, said the church would struggle to recover from the fallout. “The Catholic church is dying a painful death in full view of the public,” he told German media....
The Protestant church, which has also been beset by abuse scandals, has been losing members at an alarming rate as well, with 380,000 people turning their backs on it in 2022. According to last year’s figures, it has 19.5 million members in Germany.
www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/german-catholic-church-dying-painful-death-as-500-000-leave-in-a-year/ar-AA1ddcwu?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=3e3613a07a63489b8511f1bb82f85a49&ei=35
One suspects it will take a long while for the RC church to recover from the world-wide child abuse scandal. Of course many of those leaving are probably going to another chuirch. But recent coverage suggests that many Western European and American churches are in a state of gradual decline.
