At the end of 2022 the Catholic Church had 2.89 million members in Switzerland, according to the Swiss Pastoral Sociological Institute (SPI) on Sunday. The Swiss paper SonntagsBlick was the first to report on it.
The SPI expects the resignation figures to rise even further in 2023. The institute cites the report on the history of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland as the reason.
More
More
Demographics
Deserted churches and fewer believers: Swiss abandon God
This content was published on
Churches are becoming increasingly obsolete in Switzerland. What do church leaders say about that?
“In recent weeks and months, the Catholic Church has lost reputation and trust,” the SPI said. There’s talk of systematic cover-ups, protection of perpetrators and other allegations, it said. “This costs credibility.”
The cantons of Basel-City, Aargau and Solothurn recorded the most resignations in 2022. In contrast to resignations, admissions have been at a low level for years, according to the SPI. In 2022, 1,080 people joined the Catholic Church.
Protestant church faces similar trend
According to the survey, the Catholic Church is not alone in the high number of departures. Last year, 30,393 people left the Protestant Reformed Church. That is more than in 2021, when 28,540 resignations were registered. The membership of the Protestant Reformed Church in Switzerland was around 1.92 million at the end of 2022.
The church statistics of the SPI are based on its own surveys in the parishes, as well as data from third parties, namely the Federal Statistical Office.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Global elections
One Swiss man’s patient work towards a democratic Romania
Swiss foreign minister praises improved relations with Italy
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis expressed his satisfaction on Tuesday with the good relations that Switzerland has developed with Italy.
Boating and swimming to be banned on part of River Aare in Bern
This content was published on
From September, the city and canton of Bern will be carrying out extensive construction work on the River Aare to protect against flooding and to renovate the Marzili outdoor pool.
Moutier: foreigners familiarise themselves with right to vote
This content was published on
From 2026, Moutier will be part of the Swiss canton of Jura, gaining more than 1,000 new voters. On Monday around 50 people were informed about their new rights.
Switzerland ‘more than ready’ to host Ukraine summit
This content was published on
Switzerland is more than ready to host a summit between Russia and Ukraine, says Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, highlighting Switzerland's expertise in this area.
This content was published on
Every second aircraft at Zurich Airport took off late this summer. However, the situation has already improved significantly compared to last year.
Swiss union federation demands average wage increase of 2%
This content was published on
The employees' umbrella organisation Travailsuisse is demanding an average wage increase of two percent for all employees in the coming year. This would cover the rising cost of living and make up for wage shortfalls in recent years.
‘Dr Pump’ sentenced for administering unauthorised substances
This content was published on
A Bern Regional Court has found the Solothurn doctor known as "Dr Pump" guilty of offences against the Sports Promotion Law. The man had administered unauthorised substances to patients.
This content was published on
Volunteering can have a positive effect on mental health. According to a survey conducted in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, people who volunteer for others also strengthen themselves.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Catholic Church abuse cover-up: demand for independent investigation
This content was published on
The investigation ordered by the Swiss Bishops' Conference into the cover-up of abuse cases should not be carried out by a clergyman. This is the opinion of women who have been dealing with abuse cases in the Catholic Church for years.
Sweeping study finds 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church since 1950
This content was published on
More than 1,000 acts of sexual abuse have been perpetrated by Catholic clerics and members of the Order since 1950 in Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.