Vorarlberg diocese exodus declines

Significantly fewer people have left the Church in a diocese in western Austria in the first half of this year than in the first six months of 2010, it was announced today (Mon).

The Austrian Roman Catholic Church’s branch in Vorarlberg said 1,817 quit their membership between January and June 2011.

The diocese had to accept the departure of more than 3,100 people in the equal time span of 2010. 

Vorarlberg diocese officials said the situation has "calmed down" in their opinion. Austria’s other dioceses did not release any new membership cancellations data.

With 87,393, more people than ever since the end of World War Two (WWII) left the Catholic Church in Austria in 2010. 

Last year’s figures surpassed 2009, the previous post-war record year, by a staggering 63 per cent.

The developments in 2010 meant that around 65 per cent of Austria’s populace of 8.5 million were Catholics. 

The denomination claimed a share of 89 per cent in 1961.

The share of Catholics among the 1.7 million people living in Austrian capital Vienna shrank to 39 per cent over the years. 

However, it was the diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt in Carinthia which registered the strongest increase of membership cancellations in 2010 compared to 2009 at 94 per cent.

Around 5,600 people left the Catholic Church in the southern province last year.

Financial aspects have been linked to the developments as people are asked to hand over a certain percentage of their income to the Church. 

News about hundreds of cases of psychological, physical and sexual abuse by clergymen in the past decades has been identified as another key factor. 

Source