Posted on 01/12/2023 2:33:37 PM PST by ebb tide
The number of faithful leaving the Catholic church in Austria reached a new record of 90,808 in 2022, according to statistics released Wednesday.
The number shrank from 4.83 million in the previous year to 4.73 million.
A single reason for the number of departures cannot be inferred from the numbers.
The number of people leaving the church was already relatively high at 72,222 in 2021 and represented the second-highest figure behind 2010, when 85,960 people turned their backs on the church after abuse cases came to light, according to the daily Der Standard.
"For many people, a distance to the church, which has become greater due to the pandemic in recent years, is likely to be decisive for the current high numbers of people leaving," the Austrian Catholic news agency, Kathpress, wrote on its website.
The number of Protestants is also falling in Austria. In 2021, there were 340,000 Protestant adherents to the faith. Fifty years ago, there were 447,100.
The second-largest religious group next to Catholics in Austria, compared to the total population, are nondenominational.
According to a 2021 census, there are also 745,600 Muslims in Austria, which corresponds to 8.3% of the population. In 1971, there were only 22,300.
The number of Jews, on the other hand, has shrunk from 8,100 in 2001 to 5,400.
Sure it can be inferred: Jorge Bergoglio and his Frankenchurch.
Bergoglio and his St. Gallen post-modern supporters are turning the Church into just another supine, leftist, political social-engineering organization.
Who needs Jesus Christ when we have the religion of humanist progressives?
The faithful men and women in the pews are not so concerned about Bergoglio and his incomprehensible actions. They are enraged and alienated by priests sexually abusing children and bishops covering for them.
This is not good. Catholics must take back their church from the Marxists and homosexuals.
I will continue to pray for the Catholic church.
“Resignations” from the Catholic church?
So, you need to resign?
Another cr@ppy click-bail article. Couldn’t even get the title right.
If you are wondering why they can come up with such exact numbers for people leaving, it is that there is a church tax in Austria. https://www.thelocal.at/20220328/explained-what-is-austrias-church-tax-and-is-it-mandatory
You can get out of paying it by deregistering with the church.
Germany has one, too.
And German government charges you for quitting your church.
In addition, churches that closed their doors to parishioners in effect announced they were little more than an extension of government.
Is Austria one of those countries that collect some kind of a tax from those who are “registered” as belonging to a particular religion?
Yeah. How many were just laid off? Or took early retirement.
When I was 20 years old I had a summer job in Austria and I was asked my religion--because I was under 21 I didn't have to pay the tax. There were a couple of guys from England working at the same place and they rejected being classified as "Evangelisch" because they were Church of England, not Lutheran.
Yes,after I posted I used Google and found that Austria does collect a religion tax.I don’t know how many mainly Christian countries do it but I know I had heard of it being done even before I read this piece.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.