New record for church exits in 2022
religion
The number of people leaving the church in Austria is at a new record high: 90,808 people left the Catholic Church in 2022, according to church statistics published on Wednesday. In Salzburg there were more than 7,000 resignations last year.
The number of people leaving the church was already relatively high last year at 72,222 and was the second highest value behind that in 2010 (then there were 85,960 leaving), when many people had turned their backs on the church after cases of abuse became known.
“For many people, a distance from the church, which has increased in recent years due to the pandemic, is likely to be the decisive factor for the currently high number of people leaving,” the Catholic press agency in Austria, “Kathpress”, examines the current development.
Church: Pandemic and price increases as a motive
In the Archdiocese of Salzburg, the total number of Catholics as of December 31, 2022 is given as 438,227. 7,403 people left the church last year (6,335 in 2021), 417 rejoined or rejoined.
According to information from the dioceses, this trend was reinforced last year by the tense overall economic situation and inflation in many areas of life. This is despite the fact that the dioceses had accommodated people in collecting the church contribution because of the CoV pandemic. There has also been anger among some members in recent years about the CoV measures taken by the church, but these were no stronger than in other areas.