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SOCIETY
TOPIC
FREEDOM OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP
The religious landscape in Germany is
members, they encompass the majority of
shaped by increasing plurality and secular-
evangelical Christians. 34 percent of the
isation. 58.8 percent of the German popula-
population does not profess to a particular
tion confesses to one of the two major
faith. As a consequence of the ageing mem-
Christian faiths, organised in the 27 Cath-
bership and high levels of people leaving the
olic dioceses and German Bishops’ Confer-
Christian churches, the number of believers
ence and the Protestant regional churches
is falling. In 2014, 218,000 people left the
under the umbrella organisation Evangel-
Catholic Church alone. The low number of
ical Church in Germany (EKD).
believers in east Germany is particularly
striking.
The Catholic Church, with just under 24
million members in 12,000 parishes, is part
Islam is gaining in significance for reli-
of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church
gious life owing to migration. There are an
headed by the Pope. The EKD is a commun-
estimated four million Muslims in Ger-
ity of 20 independent evangelical regional
many from 50 different nations, but there is
churches of the Lutheran, Reformed and
no central survey. Significant Muslim com-
United confessions. With around 23 million
munities have formed in many cities. The German Islam Conference established in 2006
provides an official framework for exchange
LIST
∙ Catholic diocese with the most
members: Archdiocese of Cologne
with 2,035,000 Catholics
between Muslims and the German state.
Jewish life in Germany, which was entirely
destroyed after the Holocaust, has been revived since the end of the Cold War thanks to
migrants from the former USSR. Today
∙ Ev