Time for confession? Catholics more likely to commit adultery (and Church of England are most faithful)

Their religion states that cheating is a mortal sin.

Yet it seems Catholics are the most adulterous religious group in Britain.

The number of Catholics actively looking for affairs was almost twice that of other religions, a survey has found.

Research showed 21.5% of the 600,000 members on an extra-marital dating site were Catholic - a high figure since they make up only 10% of the UK population.

Church of England followers are less common – although 40% of English citizens list themselves as CofE, Anglicans only made up 33% of members surveyed by extra-marital dating site IllicitEncounters.com

Furthermore, CofE subscribers turned out to be more faithful in their marriages than atheists and agnostics, listed as 'no religion'.

The most loyal spouses were either Jewish or Methodists.

Christine Elvin, Harley Street social therapist, explains the reasons people who subscribe to stricter religions, like Catholicism, may be more likely to cheat.

She says: 'In tight structured relationships the pressure is huge, religious boundaries can create many rules and to obey them all could result in some feeling suffocated and tempted to escape so they can feel alive again.'

Three of the religions that have the most strict rules when it comes to fidelity are also the three that are statistically the most likely to cheat.

Elvin explains: ‘To be religious does not automatically make you a good person; religious people aren’t always immune from the trials and tribulations that affect others.

'Religious texts have given us a tool on how to live and how not to live. Some religious beliefs can cause much pain and guilt, being obedient and powerless can cause 'irrational guilt' leading to depression.

'Many can get wrapped up in the idea that being good is more important then being happy.

'Needs are not met, so psychological problems appear, causing some people to seek out happiness elsewhere.’

There is little ambiguity in the Catholic teachings when it comes to fidelity; the Catholic Church views adultery as a 'sinful union'.

Spokesperson for Illicit Encounters Rosie Freeman-Jones says: ‘Religious people have a much stronger sense of right and wrong, which also means they're likely to get a bigger thrill from breaking the rules.

'For some people, affairs are about being 'naughty', and because religious people are instilled from a young age with a set of concrete morals, being naughty for them holds much more of a kick than for your average agnostic or atheist.'

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