According to new statistics, a record number of 522,821 people officially left the Catholic Church in Germany in 2022.
When accounting for deaths, the number of Church members decreased by 708,285 in 2022, with only 1,447 people joining the Church for the first time and 3,753 people being readmitted.
The previous record for "Church exits" was set in 2021, with 359,338 people leaving the Church, which itself represented a significant increase from 2020, when 221,390 people left.
The new figures were published on June 28 by the German bishops' conference and the country's 27 dioceses.
The loss of over half a million Catholics means there are now 20,937,590 Church members in Germany, representing 24.8% of the total population of 84 million, down from 26% the previous year.
But not all trends are downward. The bishops' conference noted a slight increase in the reception of most sacraments in 2022, as Germany emerged from the coronavirus crisis.
Mass attendance rose from 4.3% in 2021 to 5.7% in 2022. Baptisms increased from 141,992 in 2021 to 155,173 in 2022, while First Communions rose from 156,574 in 2021 to 162,506 in 2022.
The number of marriages increased significantly, from 20,140 in 2021 to 35,467 in 2022. In contrast, confirmations decreased, from 125,818 in 2021 to 110,942 in 2022.
The number of priests in Germany dropped from 12,280 in 2021 to 11,987 in 2022. Priestly ordinations fell from 62 in 2021 to 45 in 2022 (including 33 diocesan priests and 12 members of religious orders).
The number of permanent deacons decreased from 3,253 in 2021 to 3,184 in 2022, while the number of parishes was reduced from 9,790 in 2021 to 9,624 in 2022.
Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops' conference, said:
"The figures are alarming. We cannot and do not want to close our eyes to this development. We must continue to act consistently, and people must know that we are by their side and that we are there for them."
The number of people who officially left the Church in Bätzing's Diocese of Limburg increased by 3,265 in 2022, from 11,686 in 2021 to 14,951 last year. In total, the diocese had 21,642 fewer Catholics at the end of 2022 than at the end of 2021.
"Yes, the high number of departures is painful, and I know how committed volunteers and full-time workers in parishes, institutions, associations, daycare centers, schools, and Caritas are to others and how important the Good News of the God of love is to them," the bishop said.
"Do not be discouraged. Continue your commitment and ensure that the people you meet every day experience the sources of your commitment, your joy, and your hope. I believe we have a good message that our society urgently needs and that is fit for the future."
Although the German Catholic bishops' conference did not indicate the reason for this record number of official departures, most analysts believe the devastating clergy abuse crisis, secularization, and the *Kirchensteuer* (church tax) are all factors explaining this phenomenon. (Not to mention the crass progressivism shown by the German clergy with the blessing of homosexuals, etc.)
Anyone in Germany who declares a Catholic identity on an official registration form must pay a surcharge of 8 to 9% on top of their income tax, depending on the region in which they live.
This amount is deducted directly from employees' wages by the state on behalf of the Church.
If a baptized Catholic wishes to opt out of the system, they must make an appointment at a registry office or local court, provide official documents, and pay a fee of about $35. In return, they receive a certificate confirming they are no longer registered and therefore no longer liable for the church tax.
This step triggers a letter from local Church officials, outlining the consequences of this change, namely the prohibition from receiving the sacraments, the inability to hold office within the Church, and the inability to serve as a baptismal or confirmation sponsor.
The Vatican has long expressed its unease with the German approach to Church departure.
After the 1983 Code of Canon Law set the conditions for a formal act of defection from the Catholic Church, Rome became concerned that "defection" could be automatically equated with a declaration of withdrawal from the German church tax system.
In a 2006 letter, the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts stated that "the juridical-administrative act of leaving the Church does not in itself constitute a formal act of defection in the sense of the Code, given that there may always be the will to remain in the communion of faith."
In the 2009 apostolic letter *Omnium in mentem*, Benedict XVI decreed that the term "formal act of defection" should be eliminated from the Code.
The German Church published an updated approach to Catholic departures in a general decree in 2012.
This decree, recognized by the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, states that declaring to civil authorities the intention to leave the Church constitutes "a grave transgression against the ecclesiastical community."
Citing canon law, the decree specifies that "whoever resigns before the competent civil authority, for whatever reason, violates the duty to maintain communion with the Church and the duty to contribute financially to enable the Church to fulfill its functions."
But while the decree uses clearer theological language than previous texts to address the issue of deregistration, the practical effects of deregistration have not changed.
A German newspaper reported in 2020 that Rome had received several requests from German bishops to revise the 2012 decree on the grounds that it contradicted the 2006 decision of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, but these requests were not promptly examined.
The sharp decline in Church membership is not limited to Germany but also extends to other German-speaking countries.
In Austria, a record 90,808 people left the Church in 2022.
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Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schönborn said this week that the proportion of Catholics in Austria is expected to drop from the current 52% "to 40% or less."
"We cannot lie to ourselves about this," he commented.
The Catholic Church could face similar declines in affiliation in other European countries, but in many cases, membership figures are based on estimates rather than the detailed information generated by church tax systems.
This article was originally published by Pillar Catholic (Article Link).