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For example, the wave of dismissals seems to be particularly large in the Catholic parish of Lucerne. Since the abuse investigation was published, 270 people per month have resigned, according to one study. In 2022 there were 65 in the same period.
There were relatively even more people who left the church in Adligenswil LU. After the numerous abuses became known, the parish was the first to decide not to transfer contributions to the diocese of Basel for the time being. Since September, 45 layoffs have been counted in the community of 5,500 residents.
Before the study, the Lucerne community averaged three layoffs per month. Kirchmeier Mirjam Meyer speaks of a “real exodus”. Meanwhile, it’s not just younger people leaving the church, but also faithful, long-standing members.
Many layoffs are registered almost everywhere
In the city of Zug, with about 12,000 Catholics, the number of resignations has probably doubled since September. Before 2023, church council chairman Patrice Riedo expects that 250 to 260 people will turn their backs on the Catholic Church.
A real wave of layoffs can be seen in Basel-Stadt. The number of layoffs rose from 36 to 174 from August to September. And the numbers remained high in October (164) and November (115). In the Roman Catholic parish of Winterthur, 486 were dismissed from early September to early December. In the past two years there were 158 and 161 respectively.
In the pastoral area of Bern and the surrounding area, the number of people leaving the church in 2023 is likely to be twice as high as in other years. After a significant increase in September, the figures fell back to the level before the publication of the abuse figures in November.
However, the publication of the abuse investigation also marks a turning point in Schwyz: church departures have skyrocketed by more than 500 percent since September to an average of 76 departures. Previously, there were an average of twelve layoffs per month.
At Sarnen OW, 128 have been dismissed since September. For the full year, layoffs are expected to rise to 205, up from 90 in recent years. In Altdorf UR, where about 100 people usually leave the church each year, 139 have canceled their church membership since September. According to its own information, the regional church of the canton of Aargau registered a maximum number of people leaving the church in September. The numbers have now fallen again. But 2023 will be a record year. Most of the layoffs took place in urban areas in Aargau, Solothurn and Graubünden. It was said in Graubünden that there were parishes that registered more than 100 dismissals.
Fewer dismissals in French cantons
The Swiss Pastoral Sociological Institute St. Gallen (SPI) publishes the numbers of people leaving the church in Switzerland every autumn. Current information about developments after the announcement of cases of abuse in the Catholic Church is therefore not available.
What is striking about the annual church departure are the cantonal differences. Geneva, Valais, Neuchâtel and Vaud regularly register virtually no departures. According to the SPI, this is due to the different organizational structures of the churches in these cantons.
As a rule, they are not aware of a state church membership structure related to church tax liability from which one could even opt out. Leaving the church is therefore a symbolic act in these cantons and those affected do not spare any church tax. According to the vicar general of the diocese of Sion, Pierre-Yves Maillard, only five requests have so far been made to leave the church in the parish of Saint-Maurice, where the abbey is facing numerous serious allegations of abuse.
In the canton of Neuchâtel, around twenty leave requests have been registered since September, instead of the usual twenty for the whole year. In Geneva, 45 requests for departure were received in 2023, of which 36 in September.
Ticino and the canton of Baselland do not disclose exit figures to the SPI. When asked about the law, they also said there are currently no figures.
The Roman Catholic Church currently has approximately three million members in Switzerland, the Evangelical Reformed Church approximately two million.
On September 12, the University of Zurich published a report on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. This documented 1002 cases in the Catholic Church in Switzerland since the mid-20th century. (SDA)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
