It was reported that the Catholic Church lost approximately 400,000 members and the Protestant Church lost 380,000 members in Germany last year.
According to statistics presented at the German Bishops’ Conference in Bonn, Germany’s two largest churches, the Catholic and Protestant churches, have been losing members in recent years.
Last year, around 400,000 Catholic Christians and 380,000 Protestant Christians were disaffiliated from the Catholic Church.
The loss of members was also due to the fact that more people died than were added through baptism.
The number of priests and pastors also declined.
In Germany, people who are officially members of a church pay a church tax, which helps to finance the church, in addition to the normal taxes paid by the rest of the population. Those who leave churches do not pay this tax. Low-income earners such as the unemployed, students and pensioners are exempt from this tax.
