Catholic Church - A good 350,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hamburg
In Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg, fewer people left the Catholic Church in the past year compared to the previous year. In the Archdiocese of Hamburg, 12,108 Catholics left their church in 2023. In 2022, there were 14,130 departures reported, according to a spokesperson for the archdiocese on Thursday. The archdiocese had approximately 351,683 members at the end of the previous year. At the end of 2022, there were 364,496 members. Ten years ago, there were nearly 400,000.
"The number of departures for the year 2023 is below the previous year's level. However, they remain high," said Sabine Gautier from the Pastoral Services Department of the Archdiocese. Particularly noteworthy is that the number of baptisms and weddings has decreased. In 2022, there were 1,555 baptisms, but only 1,255 in 2023.
57 former members rejoined the Catholic Church in the past year (2022: 45), and 101 people were newly welcomed (2022: 99). The number of regular churchgoers increased from 17,416 to 20,520, it was stated. The increase illustrates a persistent need for spirituality in our society, according to Gautier.
The number of Catholics in Hamburg decreased from 163,756 to 157,311, in Schleswig-Holstein from 162,870 to 157,475, and in Mecklenburg from 37,870 to 36,897. The Catholics in Vorpommern belong to the Archdiocese of Berlin.
The number of departures from the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Northern Germany remained high in 2023. The Church in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had 1,708,631 members at the end of the previous year. That was 64,322 fewer than at the end of 2022, according to a church spokesperson in early May.
Membership statistics of the Archdiocese
- Despite a decrease in the number of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hamburg, the Catholic Church in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, including the Archbishopric of Hamburg, experienced fewer departures in 2023 compared to 2022.
- Interestingly, the Archdiocese of Hamburg, located in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, reported a decrease in membership from 364,496 at the end of 2022 to 351,683 by the end of 2023.
- The Archdiocese of Hamburg, serving the Catholic community in parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, and Mecklenburg, highlights the significance of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in its jurisdiction, as Catholics in Mecklenburg, such as those in Vorpommern, are still a part of its Church.
- In contrast to the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Berlin is responsible for the Catholic community in Vorpommern, which lies within Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
- The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Northern Germany, which also includes the cities of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommerania, reported a significant decrease in membership in 2023, with 64,322 fewer members than at the end of the previous year.
