The number of people leaving the Roman Catholic Church has exploded since a preliminary study on sexual abuse in the organisation was published in September 2023, reported SRF. However, revelations of abuse have not only affected the Roman Catholic Church. In 2023, around 40,000 people left Switzerland’s Reformed Church, a number close to a third higher than the year before. Overall, the number of people turning their backs on religious institutions 2023 was double the number in 2022.
The number of departures is not unexpected, according to Urs Brosi, a senior representative of the umbrella organisation of Roman Catholic regional churches. However, the scale of the departures is unprecedented.
Switzerland’s Reformed Church has been losing members at a significantly higher rate than the Roman Catholic Church for many years. Historically, Roman Catholic Church member numbers have remained relatively stable. Immigration has largely compensated for the departure of local parishioners. Now they are in decline after revelations that the Roman Catholic Church has covered up evidence of sexual violence, protected abuse perpetrators, and turned a blind eye to victims for decades.
In 2023, a total of 67,497 members left all Switzerland’s churches. Across most of Switzerland, residents can opt in and out of paying a supplementary tax to their church. So when parishioners leave, church revenue declines. In some cantons, companies are forced to pay church tax, a practice that has long been contentious.
Even before revelations of church sexual abuse, the shift away from religion was accelerating. By 2022, those belonging to no faith (34%) outnumbered Catholics (32%), protestants (21%) and other faith groups (12%), according to statistics published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In 1970, only 1% of Switzerland claimed to be non-religious. Today the figure is more than a third. Between 2012 and 2022, the percentage jumped from 21% to 34%.
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SRF article (in German)
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