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There were over 13,000 fewer resignations from the Roman Catholic Church last year than in 2023.
The Roman Catholic Church has seen a significant decline in the number of people leaving the church. According to official statistics published on Wednesday, a total of 71,531 people left the church in 2024, compared to 85,163 members the year before. Nevertheless, as expected, the number of Catholics has shrunk again, from around 4.64 million in 2023 (as of December 31) to 4.56 million members. This is due not only to resignations but also to deaths and people moving away.
Thousands are admitted to the Catholic Church
A total of 5,154 people were readmitted or newly admitted to the Catholic Church in 2024. This is an increase compared to 2023 (4,575) and previous years. There was also a noticeable increase in adult baptisms, from 208 to 255. In addition, 453 people exercised their right to revoke their withdrawal from the Church in 2024. The number of churchgoers also rose. On the two counting Sundays, there were 366,210 and 378,797 churchgoers, respectively. In 2023, the figures were 321,821 and 347,891, respectively.
The number of baptisms in 2024 was 36,705. This is a decline compared to 2023, when 39,488 baptisms were recorded. There were also fewer church weddings: 7,537 couples were married in church in 2024. In 2023, the figure was 8,228. The number of church funerals in 2024 was 47,353. This is a significant decline compared to 2023 (50,900). According to “Kathpress,” this is likely related to the general decline in deaths in Austria.
First Communions and Confirmations are slightly up
There was a slight increase in First Communions, with 45,685 recorded in 2024, compared to 45,132 the year before. The same applies to Confirmations: there were 39,677 Confirmations in 2024, compared to 38,122 the year before.
As expected, there was a slight decline in the number of priests. According to official church statistics, 3,269 priests were active in Austria in 2024, compared to 3,320 in 2023. Overall, however, the church speaks of a currently “relatively stable situation.”
Church tax as the “backbone”
On Wednesday, the Bishops’ Conference also published the Catholic Church’s financial figures for 2024. According to these figures, church tax forms the “backbone” of church financing in Austria. Last year, revenue from church tax amounted to €539.4 million, accounting for just under 71 percent of total revenue. This is a slight increase compared to 2023.
According to the financial report, the ten dioceses in Austria recorded total revenues of around €763.8 million in 2024 (2023: €698.3 million). This is offset by expenses of around €784.3 million (2023: €732.1 million). Due to a positive financial result of just under €22 million, the diocese’s financial overview shows a slightly positive “result of church activities” overall.
-source: APA/picture: pixabay.com
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