The Catholic church saw a 25% increase in the exodus of members last year compared to 2018, while the number of registered Protestants dropped by 18% more than previously reported.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ac
Never before have so many people abandoned the Catholic Church as last year. The religious institution lost 31,772 of its members, according to church statistics from the Swiss Institute for Pastoral Sociology (SPI) in St. Gallen. The exodus in 2019 represents a 25% increase over 2018 and constitutes 1.1% of the entire Swiss Catholic church membership.
However, the figures were skewed by the western cantons of Geneva, Valais, Neuchâtel and Vaud which reported practically no decline in membership. According to the SPI, this anomaly is because it is not possible to avoid paying church taxes in these cantons even if one leaves the church.
If these cantons are excluded from the statistics, the average annual rate of loss of members is 1.4%, a figure similar to that of neighbouring countries such as Germany (1.2%) and Austria (1.3%). In these countries too, the decline in Church membership has increased in recent years.
The Protestant church is also experiencing an exodus. In 2019, 26,198 people left the Church, an 18% increase compared to 2018.
It is estimated that there were 3.1 million Catholics and two million Protestants in Switzerland at the end of 2019. Most Swiss cantons recognise the two as official religions, which means that those who register as adherents are required to pay a church tax. The amount can vary from place to place. For example, in canton Zug it is an additional 15% of the basic cantonal tax if you are a Roman Catholic and 10% if a Protestant. In some places even businesses have to pay.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
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
Is Switzerland a Christian nation?
This content was published on
Although Christianity dominates the Swiss religious landscape, the Alpine country is home to a variety of other religions and sects.
Most Swiss Christians don’t believe story behind Easter
This content was published on
Almost two-thirds of Swiss Christians who took part in a survey do not believe that the Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact.
This content was published on
Swiss TV’s culture magazine, Kulturplatz, recently interviewed de Botton in London, where he has set up a ’School of Life’, a cultural enterprise offering courses on how to live wisely and well.(SRF/swissinfo.ch)
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.