“Managed Decline” – The Catholic Church in Switzerland

An article today in the leading Swiss newspaper (the “NZZ” of Zurich) on the most recent statistics of the Swiss Catholic Church. The Catholic Church in Switzerland is a smaller scale version of the German Catholic Church, with similar economics and ideology.

“The objective has to be that the Church diminishes in an orderly manner.” Urs Brosi, the general secretary of the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland, said that Friday while presenting the latest Church statistics. Thus, even the representatives of the Church have given up the hope that their institution can preserve today’s dimensions. In any case, nobody talks any more about the possibility of a “return to religion” in Switzerland – let alone that the churches could even grow again.

Hehli, Simon, “‘Geordnet schrumpfen’: Den Kirchen laufen und sterben die Mitglieder weg” (“To Decline in an orderly Manner”: Members run and die away from the Churches), www.NZZ.ch (9/26/2025)

At least they are honest there.