Würzburg (dpa / lby) - The diocese of Würzburg has made it out of the red. For the first time since 2017, the annual result for 2021 was again in surplus - of around 300,000 euros, the Lower Franconian diocese announced on Thursday. In 2020, a deficit of more than 5.6 million euros was still registered. In 2019 there was a record loss of around 40 million euros.

"We are on the right track. But there are still difficult and challenging years ahead of us with a view to declining diocese finances and rising costs. Many things will no longer be able to continue as before. But together we will achieve this and build a sustainable church," said Vicar General Jurgen Vorndran.

A pronounced cost awareness has been established in all main departments, said finance director Sven Kunkel. The expenses of all main departments remained under the planned budgets. In addition, the income from the church tax has increased compared to the first Corona year 2020 - from 169 million to 176 million euros.

According to figures from the German Bishops' Conference in 2021, the Diocese of Würzburg had almost 690,000 Catholics.