Only 29 new priests were ordained for Germany’s 27 Catholic dioceses in 2024 — a record low for the Church in the country.
Newsroom (May 29, 2025, 10:05, Gaudium Press) Germany’s Catholic Church has hit a grim milestone, with priestly ordinations falling to an unprecedented low in 2024 while hundreds of thousands of faithful formally severed ties with the Church, according to new data from the German Bishops’ Conference.
A Vanishing Clergy
Only 30 new diocesan priests were ordained in 2024—the lowest number since record-keeping began in 1962, when there were 557 ordinations. Eleven of Germany’s 27 dioceses, including Limburg—led by Bishop Georg Bätzing, head of the bishops’ conference—saw no ordinations at all.
The decline has been stark:
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2004: 122 ordinations
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2014: 75 ordinations
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2023: 35 ordinations
The Diocese of Münster, now Germany’s largest after surpassing Cologne, also recorded zero ordinations for the second consecutive year.
Mass Disaffiliation Continues
Despite a slight slowdown, 321,611 Catholics officially left the Church in 2024, bringing total membership below 20 million for the first time. Since 2018, more than 2 million have left, driven by secularization and the abuse crisis.
Bishop Bätzing acknowledged the crisis, stating: “We must not close our eyes to these figures. The Gospel hasn’t changed—but we must find new, credible ways to bring it to people.”
Sacraments in Decline
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Baptisms: 116,222 (down from 131,245 in 2023)
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Church weddings: 22,504 (down from 27,565)
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Converts: 1,839 (85% from Protestant backgrounds)
Only 6.6% of Catholics attend Mass regularly.
The “Synodal Way” Controversy
The clergy shortage helped spark Germany’s controversial Synodal Way, which proposed radical reforms—including women deacons, relaxed celibacy, and lay governance. The Vatican has repeatedly warned against schismatic tendencies, but German bishops remain divided.
The initiative produced 150 pages of resolutions, including several touching on the priesthood. Synodal way participants endorsed texts calling for women deacons, a re-examination of priestly celibacy, and lay preaching at Masses, as well as a greater lay role in choosing bishops and Church governance.
A Glimmer of Hope?
While disaffiliations dipped from 402,694 (2023) to 321,611 (2024), the Church still faces an existential challenge. For the first time since 2018, more Protestants (345,000) than Catholics left their churches.
As Germany’s Catholic hierarchy grapples with its future, the question remains: Can it stem the tide—or is this decline irreversible?
- Raju Hasmkuh with files from the Pillar
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