GERMANY
National Catholic Reporter
Catholic News Service Aug. 4, 2014
MAINZ, GERMANY
A German cardinal warned that the number of Catholics leaving his country’s church is “alarmingly high” and urged an end to “scandals and vexations” involving clergy.
“There’s no doubt these figures must make us think. We’ve obviously suffered a loss of trust and credibility which has rarely happened so violently,” Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz wrote in a column published in the Aug. 3 issue of Faith and Life, the diocese’s weekly newspaper.
“The church isn’t just another club, and all efforts must now be made to prevent more scandals through repentance and renewal,” wrote Lehmann, a former president of the German bishops’ conference.
The column followed the release of new church data that showed a sharp increase in Catholics removing their names from parish and diocesan membership rolls.
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