Religion - Over 20,000 Lower Saxons leave the Catholic Church
In Lower Saxony, around 20,700 people left the Catholic Church in the past year. According to data released by the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) in Bonn on Thursday, there were approximately 400 re-joinings and new entries, making a total of around 24,100. In 2022, approximately 27,000 people left the Catholic Church in Lower Saxony.
Therefore, there were roughly 1.21 million Catholics living in the federal state in 2023. With a population of around eight million, Lower Saxony is home to approximately 15.1% of the total Catholic population in Germany. According to church reports, only six percent of Catholics in Lower Saxony attend services.
The Catholic Church reported around 1,300 departures in Bremen for 2023, compared to approximately 1,600 the previous year. There are currently around 59,000 Catholics in Bremen.
Nationwide, fewer people left the Catholic Church in the past year. In 2022, the number of departures exceeded 500,000, marking a significant negative record. However, in 2023, there were 402,694 departures. The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) reported that around 380,000 members left the Evangelical Church in 2023, which is similar to the number in the previous year.
- The Catholic Church in Bremen, located in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony in Germany, reported a decrease in membership with 1,300 departures in 2023.
- Despite the decrease in Catholic Church membership in Lower Saxony, the federal state still hosts a significant portion of the total Catholic population in Germany, accounting for around 15.1%.
- The German Bishops' Conference, based in Bonn, released data showing a decrease in Catholic Church members in Lower Saxony, with around 20,700 leaving the Church in the past year.
- The Catholic Church in Hanover, which is also part of Lower Saxony, may have followed a similar trend as Bremen, as the overall decrease in Catholic Church membership in Lower Saxony is a common trend across Germany.
