The Catholic Church in Germany: Decline in Weddings and Catholic Funerals

The Catholic Church in Germany has published new statistics indicating a continued decrease in participation in church rituals. The data was released on July 30, 2025, in a brochure titled «The Church in Numbers», presented in Bonn. This was reported by the Ukrainian online outlet Catholic Observer.

According to the data, 22,500 Catholic weddings took place in the country in 2024, compared to 27,560 in 2023. The decline is part of a long-term trend: in the 1990s, around 110,000 couples were married annually in Catholic churches.

The brochure also notes a decrease not only in weddings but in overall Catholic participation in church life, including Catholic funerals. Although there are about 20 million Catholics in the country, religious practice continues to decline.

As a reminder, on May 4, 2025, in a church in Bensberg, located in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, an Evangelical pastor held a themed service inspired by the Star Wars film franchise. Pastor Samuel Dörr wore a costume of one of the movie characters and “dueled” parishioners with lightsabers.