Decline of religion

[Fake Messiah]

Catholic priests (in Germany) are depressed and overworked, and it's only going to get worse with upcoming years.

Some priests suffer from the demands of their profession

"The situation is becoming more dramatic," says Priest Christoph Schmitz. He leads pastoral care for priests, i.e. for priests and people in pastoral service in the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. He observes how burn-out and depression, but also strokes and heart attacks in priests increase – even in younger people. For Schmitz, this is a sign of permanent overload.

And the situation is likely to worsen: "By 2030 there will be 25 percent fewer priests and pastoral staff in the parishes and pastoral care in the dioceses, by 2040 around 50 percent less," says Schmitz. One reason for this is that people exit from Church with all the consequences: less income from church tax, sometimes rigorous savings similar to those of the regional churches, larger municipal areas and a lack of young talent.

Möller states that some priests perceive leaving the Church almost as a personal injury: "It needs to be processed emotionally first - the fact that people are leaving the Church, even though I am personally involved". Many priests therefore perceive their work as a “certain form of futility”.

Guido Depenbrock, head of the church therapy program Inspiratio at the Barsinghausen monastery near Hanover, believes that the church itself bears responsibility: “There is a lack of a clear vision of where the church wants to be in ten years – this makes many people feel even more uncertain,” he says. Some wonder whether God will still play a role in society. “Such questions can hang over people like a dark cloud.”

https://www.katholisch.de/artikel/59440-...res-berufs