Off and Amen!

Church exits explode after abuse scandal - extra shifts for authorities

Created: 01/25/2022, 19:00

By: Christina Meyer

Many believers are now turning their backs on their church.

© Ingo Wagner/dpa

It is enough: Many Catholics have finally lost their faith.

Since the presentation of the independent abuse report on Thursday, a large wave of exits has swept through the state capital.

Munich - 650 Munich residents booked an appointment to leave the church in just six days - more than twice as many as usual in such a period.

"Since the publication of the abuse report, there has been a very high demand for leaving the church in Munich*," says KVR spokesman Johannes Mayer.

The rush is so great that the registry office has extended its opening hours and has two additional employees for people leaving the church.

Mayer: "The capacity has been tripled through personnel redeployment."

For a long time, the church has been struggling with an enormous decline in membership.

In the last 20 years, the number of people leaving the church in Munich has risen steadily*.

In 2000 a total of 8,934 Munich residents left the church; last year it was 22,323!

Only in 2020 did they fall slightly in the first lockdown*.

Church exits in Munich have doubled since the abuse scandal

On Thursday, the 1900-page independent report on cases of abuse involving 497 victims and 261 perpetrators, including 173 priests, made headlines in the Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

Ex-Pope Benedict also admitted on Monday that he had made false statements *.

For many Catholics, the events of the past few days were apparently the famous final straw that broke the camel's back.

Get out of the church: you need to know that

If you want to leave, you need a personal appointment at the registry office.

For the verbal declaration of resignation, it is essential to bring a photo ID with you.

The fees are 25 euros, an exit certificate costs 10 euros.

Due to the increased demand, the KVR points out that leaving the church can also be submitted in writing.

Here, however, the signature of the declaring person must be notarized.

The fee at the notary is also around 25 euros.

Lara P. is one of those who left.

Of course, not everything is bad about the Catholic Church, says the Munich native.

"Many people find support in the church community - and especially in small communities there is a great sense of togetherness and the church can achieve a lot there.

But I can't believe in it anymore."

Leaving the church after the abuse scandal: "The fish stinks from the head"

So much has gone wrong in the history of the church, says the management consultant.

"People always say that the fish stinks from the head, and that's actually how it is here." Peters put off leaving for years, she explains.

But: "I was out of my head a long time ago."