Religion and Secularization in Europe
Statistics Demonstrate Declining Church Attendance for Many Reasons
The continent responsible for the diffusion of traditional Christian institutions in Western Civilization is becoming increasingly secular and there may be several long-rooted reasons. At the expense of Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant erosion, Evangelical movements as well as efforts by groups like the Latter-day Saints are slowly gaining momentum.
Pope Benedict XVI charge of rampant relativism is only one part of a greater movement that can be traced back to the end of World War II. Additionally, it doesn’t help that current Vatican foibles have alienated many Catholics from the church.
Statistics on Church Attendance
Regular weekly church attendance is measured by many different think tanks and universities such as Georgetown University’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity or the Masterhausen-Hunsruck Agency in Germany that conducted an important EU study.
In every survey, the results differ by one or two points. A World Values Survey (Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan), found that only Poland experienced regular weekly church attendance by over fifty percent. A sampling includes:
- Italy with 45%
- Spain with 25%
- France with 21%
- Austria and Switzerland with 15%
- Sweden and Finland with 4%
The EU survey, however, ranked Italy at below 20%, the same as Germany, Ireland, and France, and ranked the city of Paris in single digits.
Evidence of a Secular Europe
An elderly Danish tour guide in Copenhagen told her group of tourists that practically no one attended regular weekly services, attending only on Christmas and at Easter. In Prague, on the other hand, a young lady guiding a tour of American Catholics in the late 1990s was surprised when her group insisted on visiting the Church of the Infant of Prague.
“We spent years under Communism,” she explained. “Religion was never a part of our experience. Churches were for concerts or served as museums.” Any visitor to what was once called “Eastern Europe” will note that most churches are sparsely attended, and then only by senior citizens.
Even in Western Europe, the great cathedrals stand empty on most days, filled with more tourists than worshipers. Some cathedrals, like the Duomo in Florence, rope off an area near a side chapel for daily worship. In Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria de Maggiore a daily Mass, conducted by Cardinal Law, takes place in a side chapel and is generally attended by more priests and nuns than lay people.
Possible Reasons for a Secular Europe
The ravages of World War II gave Europeans the opportunity to challenge traditional philosophical and religious beliefs that, in too many cases, had been caught up in the competing struggles. “State” religions appeared to be relics of a past best forgotten as Europe chartered a new course ultimately leading to the creation of the EU. Economic prosperity also played a part in the move toward secularization.
Unlike the United States, European politics are devoid of religion. There are no prayer breakfasts and leaders seldom if ever invoke God or quote the Bible. While traditional church feast days are still legal holidays, such as Pentecost and the Ascension, they do not intrude on politics.
A socially liberal Europe has also scornfully rejected Catholic moral teachings on contraceptives, abortion, divorce, and homosexuality. In many circles, Pope Benedict XVI is seen as a reactionary pope intent on returning the church to the Latin Mass and overturning Vatican II. In short, the pope – and the church, are viewed as being out of touch.
Large Muslim populations, particularly in France and Germany, have diversified the culture even though many Muslims live in their own enclaves and have difficulty mainstreaming. The process of obtaining German citizenship, for example, is costly, long, and arduous.
The Future of Religion in Europe
Despite the pope’s best efforts, the philosophical realizations on both sides of the issue are incompatible. Many Europeans may possess individual spirituality, but it may no longer be expressed in tradition religion.
Sources:
- Organizations noted in the body.
- Charles M. Sennott, “Catholic Church Withers in Europe,” Boston Globe May 2, 2005
- George Weigel, The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God (Basic Books, 2006)
St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna is Usually Empty
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Cardinal Law in Rome
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