Germany: Very Great Increase in Departures from the Church in 2010

The departures from the Church have increased by 40% in Germany for the year 2010.  Nearly 180,000 Catholics left their parishes in 2010, whereas it was only 130,000 in 2009 according to the facts collected by the newspaper Christ-Welt, based on a questionnaire sent to 27 bishoprics.  While 24 dioceses communicated official numbers or estimates, the bishoprics of Fribourg, Hildesheim and Limbourg gave no indications.

According to the authors of the inquest, these bad numbers would seem to be due to the sexual abuse scandals in Germany.  Besides this, the number of departures from the Church could for the first time ever be more important in the Catholic milieu than in the Protestant.  Indeed, Christ-Welt quotes an estimate for the evangelical movements in Germany, according to which the departures are slightly fewer than 150,000 for 2010.  (Sources: apic/domradio.de – DICI#235 May 28, 2011)

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