In the previous year

8500 people leave the church in the “Holy Land” of Tyrol

Innsbruck Cathedral.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

The church community in the "Holy Land" of Tyrol continued to shrink last year. The dioceses have now presented their balance sheet. It contains some remarkable figures. 

Regular attendance at Sunday church services has long since ceased to be a cherished tradition in many Tyrolean families. And membership of the Catholic Church is clearly no longer of any value to more and more citizens.

The statistics now published for the previous year show that 6034 people left the church in the diocese of Innsbruck and 2458 in the Tyrolean part of the archdiocese of Salzburg. This means that just under 8500 Tyroleans have turned their backs on the Catholic Church. The figure is at the level of 2022.

38 million euros in income from church contributions
The Diocese of Innsbruck has no information on whether the resignations had anything to do with the church contributions, which are unpopular with many. However, it is pointed out that the church contribution is "an indispensable component to enable the work of the diocese in the interests of Catholics". The Diocese of Innsbruck collected around 38 million euros in church contributions last year, while the Archdiocese of Salzburg collected a total of 54 million euros. Archbishop Franz Lackner thanks the contributors, "who make the work of the church possible and, especially with the possible earmarking, promote concrete concerns of the heart".

There were also church entries
The community of the Catholic Church in Tyrol is shrinking. Nevertheless, with almost 473,000 members, it still remains a determining factor. Incidentally, 458 people joined or were readmitted in the previous year.