More than 400,000 people left the Catholic Church last year
The total number of members of the Catholic Church was reportedly around 20.36 million people. According to church statistics, this accounted for approximately 24 percent of the population or about a quarter being Catholic in the previous year.
The Catholic Church in Germany has been losing members due to child abuse scandals and a societal value shift for years. It attempts to counteract this, for example, with reform initiatives such as the so-called synodal way. However, these are observed critically by the Vatican.
As the Bishops' Conference reported further, the number of baptisms in the previous year was slightly decreasing. It dropped from approximately 155,000 in 2022 to roughly 131,000 in 2023.
The number of church weddings performed by Catholic clergy also significantly decreased compared to the previous year. It was at around 35,500 in 2022, but only about 27,600 in the previous year.
More than 400,000 resignations were reported within the Catholic Church in Germany during the Year. This mass exit from the Church is a concerning development for German Bishops' Conference. The Church in Germany has been grappling with this issue for several years, and the number of resignations continues to be a significant concern. This trend is further exacerbated by the societal value shift, which has led to a decrease in membership.
