Austria: More Leaving Church Under Pope Francis Than Under Benedict XVI

The Eponymous Flower ^ | 1/16/14 | Giuseppe Nardi

[BlatherNaut]

(Vienna) in Austria in 2013, there were more than leaving the church than in 2012. Nearly 55,000 Catholics have left the Catholic Church as a corporate body under public law. Thus more Austrians left the Church in the first year of the pontificate of Pope Francis, than in the last year of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. The church leaders wonder about this phenomenon, which they had not expected. "We would have expected better numbers," said the Bishop of Linz Vicar William Viehböck. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. there was relief heard from not a few official church authorities in Austria. The reasons are to be sought in the different understanding of the Church. The election of Pope Francis was greeted with cheers. Since then everything will "different" and "better". But the harsh reality has caught up to the diocese now.

No "Bergoglio Effect" -Church Leaders Puzzle

After the election of the new Pope a "a palpable mood swing" had occurred, says Viehböck. The "mood" does not seem to be of the desired type. A "mood" seems to be no solid foundation for the Church. At the management level, one tries to maintain optimism and push the "Bergoglio effect" to the next year. Negative events would prove to act even "faster" than positive, says Vicar Viehböck consolingly.

[Vigilanteman]

Churches, like any other organizations, do not hollow out because they believe too much, they hollow out because they believe too little.

[circlecity]

The more the Church talks like the world the less the world thinks it needs the church.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

CANT POSSIBLY BE TRUE!!

FReepers have told me the whole church is now growing like crazy.

[KarlInOhio]

Nearly 55,000 Catholics have left the Catholic Church as a corporate body under public law.

How many of these are practicing Catholics and how many were just registered as Catholic but never attended mass and are now "leaving" to avoid the Austrian church tax?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Wow! I need names! Who told you that?

[aMorePerfectUnion]

FReepers have posted that the church is undergoing a renaissance - a rebuilding - that people are packing into services more than ever. That’s how I know this article must be false.

[BlatherNaut]

Good question.

[SkyDancer]

Guess who?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Hey my dear AMPU, you do realize that the Catholic Church is in 173 countries? And that it is growing in some and shrinking in others? Growing in South Korea, Tanzania, Bolivia, while shrinking in Belgium, Iraq, and the U.K.?? That's even true within a single country, like the USA. Growing robustly in Texas and Tennessee, shrinking like crazy in Rhode Island and New York?.

So people can be reporting that the Church is growing in their parish, state, or region, and it's true. It's also growing just a leetle, leetle bit faster than population growth in the USA overall, but a big chunk of that growth is due to immigrants and first-generation children of immigrants.

Talk about uneven growth. There's one single parish in Ann Arbor, MI (Christ the King) that over the past 20 years has produced more religious vocations --- priests, sisters and brothers -- than other whole dioceses.

This may provide some insight.

[Gamecock]

Roman Catholic Shrinkage Alert!

[steve86]

people are packing into services more than ever.

Where that is true it is because folks get the idea from listening to this pope that The Church welcomes sinners now (also has) but without requiring them to stop sinning. That's why I'm not sure which side this pope is working for.

[Alex Murphy]

...in Austria in 2013, there were more than leaving the church than in 2012. Nearly 55,000 Catholics have left the Catholic Church as a corporate body under public law. Thus more Austrians left the Church in the first year of the pontificate of Pope Francis, than in the last year of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. The church leaders wonder about this phenomenon, which they had not expected. "We would have expected better numbers," said the Bishop of Linz Vicar William Viehböck. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. there was relief heard from not a few official church authorities in Austria. The reasons are to be sought in the different understanding of the Church. The election of Pope Francis was greeted with cheers. Since then everything will "different" and "better". But the harsh reality has caught up to the diocese now.

I suspect this is due to Austria's "registered adherent / church tax" thing. Interesting that each year is worse than the last:

Related threads:
[2013] Austria: Catholic diocese fined for mass texts asking followers to pay their membership dues
[2011] Austrian Catholic church exits increase to a record high since 1945

[Excellence]

Yeah, 0bama was supposed to be a savior, too.

[BlatherNaut]

There's one single parish in Ann Arbor, MI (Christ the King) that over the past 20 years has produced more religious vocations --- priests, sisters and brothers -- than other whole dioceses.

This?

http://www.ctkcc.net/who-we-are/

"Our spiritual life as a parish is characterize by four elements. We are charismatic, contemplative, Eucharistic, and Marian."

It's a non-territorial personal parish (IOW the parishioners self-select so they are highly motivated to begin with). Eucharistic Devotion and Devotion to Our Blessed Mother in particular lead to an increase in vocations - the reason that traditional Catholic parishes also produce so many.

"Return of the Seminarians"

http://liturgyguy.com/2013/10/23/return-of-the-seminarians/

[metmom]

Roman Catholic Shrinkage Alert!

Can't be. I've heard on FR the Catholic church is growing with people crossing the Tiber en masse.

Let the excuses begin...

Lapsed Catholics....

CINO's

...poorly catechized...

Look at the Prots, they're not any better....

Yada, yada, yada,....

[Iscool]

How many of these are practicing Catholics and how many were just registered as Catholic but never attended mass and are now "leaving" to avoid the Austrian church tax?

So this is just Austria alone...WOW...

[informavoracious]

Well, a lot of them ARE crossing the Rio Grande..

[RetiredArmy]

Amen friend, Amen. Way too many have fallen in love with the Joel Osteen’s, Rick Warren’s and ole Joyce Meyer’s of the world. Just “feel good” about yourself. Give too us and you will become rich. God WANTS you to become rich. Yup. The church, or those in certain churches, have fallen in love with SELF and forgotten who got them Saved, our LORD JESUS CHRIST!!! Him, and Him only. No one else. Just Jesus. No other roads. No other gates. No other way. Just through Jesus Christ.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Yes, that’s the one!