The number of people leaving the Catholic Church in Germany in 2023 is expected to remain high, a year after a record-breaking half a million Catholics turned their backs on their churches, a dpa survey reveals.
According to the survey of German towns and municipalities conducted for dpa, tens of thousands have again left the Church this year, however the number of Catholics leaving is not expected to surpass last year's exodus.
In some regions, slightly fewer people have left the Catholic and Protestant churches than in previous years.
In Freiburg in south-west Germany, a region that was rocked by a sexual abuse scandal involving senior German prelate Robert Zollitsch - the number of people leaving the church fell, despite the controversy.
In April, Zollitsch was accused in an expert report on sexual abuse by clergy in Germany of failing to report cases to Rome during his time as archbishop of Freiburg. The Vatican has since opened an investigation into whether Zollitsch should face disciplinary proceedings.
Freiburg theologian and canon law expert Georg Bier told dpa that "those who leave the church out of disappointment with current developments have had sufficient reason to do so in the past and have long since taken this step."
The proportion of those leaving the church who have undergone a major life change, such as moving out of the parental home or entering professional life, is increasing again.
In 2022, the Catholic German Bishops' Conference (DBK) reported that 522,821 Catholics left their church.
Protestants reported a total of 380,000 people leaving the church nationwide in the same period.
That year, the report on cases of abuse in the Catholic archdiocese of Munich and Freising, which made international headlines, probably also contributed to the exploding number of people leaving the church - especially in Bavaria.
At the beginning of the year, when the report was presented, the numbers skyrocketed.
Religious education expert Ulrich Riege said: "On the one hand, nothing significant has changed that should significantly break the momentum of resignations."
"On the other hand, however, nothing significant has happened either - such as a new report concerning a prominent bishop - that should significantly push the wave upwards."
"I expect the figures to remain high," emphasized Riegel.
