Munich/Bonn (dpa/lby) - The number of people leaving the Catholic Church has skyrocketed in Bavaria. Last year, 100,872 Catholics turned their backs on their church in the Free State alone, as the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) announced on Monday in Bonn. That is significantly more than in 2020 (around 66,300 departures) and 2019 (around 78,300).
The largest Catholic diocese in Bavaria, the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, was hardest hit with 35,323 resignations, followed by Augsburg (19,884), Regensburg (14,013) and Bamberg (10,261). In the diocese of Passau, 5,703 Catholics left the church and in the diocese of Eichstätt, 5,096. Overall, the number of Catholics in Bavaria was only 6.02 million.
Archbishop Ludwig Schick of Bamberg rated the statistics as "sad and bitter, but unfortunately to be expected". Franz Jung, Bishop of Würzburg, found clearer words: Like many Catholics, he was angry and disappointed about "the problematic image that we present as a church - in Germany, in the Vatican and in the world church," it said in one communication from his diocese. "It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that many people are currently withdrawing their trust in the church and are also refusing to approve of our good deeds."
The high number of people leaving the church is "very painful" and "cannot be glossed over," said Munich Vicar General Christoph Klingan. The number of resignations in his diocese is "the highest number of resignations since the introduction of church statistics in the 1970s".
The DBK also reported a negative record nationwide: 359,338 Catholics turned their backs on their church in 2021 alone - more than ever before.
