More than 400,000 faithful left the Catholic Church in Germany last year

(Patria) - More than 400,000 people left the Catholic Church in Germany last year, official data show, reports Index.hr.

This data was released as church leaders struggle to overcome a long-standing scandal over abuse committed by clergy and grapple with calls for reform.

The German Bishops' Conference announced that 402,694 people left the Church in 2023.

That is the second highest figure so far and represents a decline from the record year of 2022, when 522,821 people left the Church, writes the Associated Press.

At the same time, last year 1,559 people joined the Church, while another 4,127 rejoined.

In Germany, people who are formal members of the Church pay the so-called church tax. If they report to local authorities that they are leaving the Church, they are no longer obliged to pay it.

Incidentally, not all Church members have to pay the church tax; there are exemptions for low-income individuals, the unemployed, pensioners, students, and others.

The Catholic Church in Germany had about 20.35 million members at the end of last year.

In the annual statistical summary, the Bishops' Conference did not cite reasons for the decline in membership.

In recent years, many faithful have turned their backs on the Church due to scandals resulting from abuse committed by priests.

In response to this crisis, German bishops and an influential lay organization led a three-year reform process called the "Synodal Way," which was marked by tensions between liberal and conservative factions.

- The figures are alarming. They show that the Church is in a crisis of broad proportions. Reforms alone will not solve the church crisis, but the crisis will worsen without reforms. Therefore, changes are necessary - said the head of the Bishops' Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg.

Christians in Germany are roughly evenly divided between Catholics and Protestants, and it is not only the Catholic Church that is losing members. The Protestant Church confirmed last month that it recorded about 380,000 official departures last year.