Sarah Mitchell
Belgium has a long history of Catholicism, with the religion being the only one permitted from 1592 until 1781. While the country has become more religiously diverse over time, Catholicism remains the most common religion in Belgium. However, the number of people practising the religion has been declining.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of Belgium's population that is Catholic | 50% (2009), 53% (2017), 50% (2022) |
| Number of Catholics in Belgium | 11.5 million (2020), 12 million (2022) |
| Sunday Mass attendance | 11% (1998), 7% (2020), 8.9% (2022) |
| Mass attendance on the third Sunday of October | 241,029 (2019) |
| Christmas Mass attendance | 551,134 (2019) |
| Number of priests in the archdiocese of Malines-Brussels | 1900 (2010) |
| Number of priests ordained in 2007 | 2 |
| Percentage of Belgian Catholics who support same-sex marriage | 83% (2017) |
| Number of adult baptisms | 143 (2010), 180 (2015), 305 (2020) |
| Number of Belgian Marian shrines | 4 |
| Number of visitors to Belgian Marian shrines in 2022 | 1.27 million |
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What You'll Learn
Belgium's Catholic population
Belgium has a long history of Catholicism, which was the only permitted religion in the territories forming modern Belgium from 1592 until 1781. In the 16th century, Belgian Protestants made up 20% of the population, but most fled or converted during the Spanish reconquest of the Southern Netherlands. This led to a predominantly Catholic population, which remained the case until the late 20th century.
In the 21st century, Belgium has seen significant changes in its religious demography, with a decline in Catholicism and the growth of irreligion and other religions, including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese religions. However, Catholicism remains the most common religion in Belgium, with 50% of the population identifying as Catholic in 2009 and 2022. This is a decrease from 2017, when 53% of the population identified as Catholic. The Belgian Catholic Church is part of the global Catholic Church and is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, with eight dioceses, including one archdiocese in Mechelen.
Despite the high number of Catholics in Belgium, Mass attendance is low. In 2019, Sunday Mass attendance was below 7%, with 241,029 people attending Mass on the third Sunday of October. This was an increase of 2,101 from the same Sunday in 2018 but still below the 2016 total of 286,000. In 2022, Sunday Mass attendance fell further to 172,968, a loss of more than 113,000 Mass-goers over six years. However, Belgium has seen a rise in adult baptisms in recent years, with 305 adults baptized in 2020, up from 143 in 2010.
The Belgian Catholic Church has been affected by a clerical sex abuse scandal, with priests found guilty of sexual conduct with minors. In response to public protests by Catholics, a textbook on adolescent psychology was withdrawn in 2010 due to its inclusion of explicit pictures. In 2020, during the coronavirus outbreak, the Church was forced to suspend public Masses, although churches remained open for public prayer.
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Catholic Church in Belgium
The Catholic Church in Belgium, also known as the Belgian Catholic Church, is part of the global Catholic Church. It is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Episcopal Conference of Bishops. The Belgian church has eight dioceses, including one archdiocese, which is the seat of the archiepiscopal residence and St. Rumbolds Cathedral in Mechelen (Malines in French). The Belgian church also oversees the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the National Basilica of Belgium.
In the 16th century, the Belgian Reformation led to a rise in Protestantism in the country, with around 20% of the population (or 300,000 people) being Protestant in 1566. However, the Spanish reconquest of the Southern Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War caused most Belgian Protestants to flee or convert, making the region predominantly Catholic once more. From 1592 until 1781, Catholicism was the only religion allowed in the territories that now form Belgium, on penalty of death. This religious uniformity, combined with the language divide (Dutch versus French), contributed to social cohesion in Belgium during its first century as a kingdom.
Today, Belgium has a population of around 11.5 million people, the majority of whom are baptized Catholics. However, church attendance is low, with Sunday Mass attendance below 7% in recent years. There has been a decline in religious affiliation across Western Europe, and Belgium is no exception. In addition to a decrease in Mass attendance, there has also been a drop in the number of baptisms, confirmations, Catholic marriages, and diocesan and religious priests. Despite this, the Belgian Church reported a rise in Mass attendance in 2019 compared to 2018, and a significant increase in adult baptisms in 2020.
The Belgian Catholic Church has been affected by a clerical sex abuse scandal, with priests found guilty of sexual conduct with minors. There have also been initiatives to address homosexuality and same-sex marriage within the Church. In 2020, the bishops of Belgium's Flanders region established a "homosexuality and faith" contact point, and a text was released allowing for a ritual blessing of same-sex couples.
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Catholic Mass attendance
Belgium has a long history of Catholicism, and it remains the country's largest religion. However, the 21st century has seen a significant shift in religious demographics, with a decline in Catholic mass attendance and an increase in irreligion and other religions, partly due to immigration.
According to a 2018 survey by the GESIS-Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, 57.1% of Belgians identified as Roman Catholic. However, the same survey found that only 8.9% attended mass at least once a month. This decline in mass attendance has been a long-term trend, with sources quoting a drop of 0.5% every year. In 1998, the last year mass attendance was officially measured, attendance was just above 11%. More recently, in 2019, 241,029 people attended mass on the third Sunday of October, a modest increase of 2,101 compared to the same Sunday in 2018. Despite this, the number of mass-goers was still well below the 2016 total of 286,000.
The Belgian Catholic Church has also seen a decline in other areas, with a decrease in baptisms, First Communions, confirmations, weddings, and funerals between 2016 and 2019. The number of priests has also decreased, with only two ordained in 2007, and most of the remaining priests nearing retirement. In addition, the Church has been affected by a clerical sex abuse scandal, with priests found guilty of sexual conduct with minors.
However, there are some positive signs for the Belgian Catholic Church. In 2020, during the coronavirus outbreak, the Church reported a significant rise in adult baptisms, with 305 adults to be baptized, an increase of 61 compared to 2019. Additionally, Belgium's four major Marian shrines received 1.27 million visitors in 2022, and the number of "debaptism" requests fell sharply in the same year. While the Belgian Catholic Church faces challenges, these developments suggest a potential for growth and a continued presence in the country.
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Catholic priests in Belgium
The Catholic Church in Belgium, also known as the Belgian Catholic Church, is part of the global Catholic Church. It is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Episcopal Conference of Bishops. There are eight dioceses, including one archdiocese, the seat of the archiepiscopal residence, and St. Rumbolds Cathedral, located in the Flemish city of Mechelen (or Malines in French). The Belgian church also oversees the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the National Basilica of Belgium.
The Catholic Church has a significant presence in Belgium, with around 50% of the population identifying as Roman Catholic. However, actual involvement in the church may be lower, with Sunday church attendance dropping below 10%. In 2022, fewer than 175,000 people regularly attended Sunday Mass out of approximately 6 million Catholics in the country. There has also been a decline in the number of new priests, with only two ordained in the archdiocese of Malines-Brussels in 2007. As of 2010, there were about 1,900 priests in the same archdiocese, but most were retired or close to retirement.
The Belgian Catholic Church has been affected by a clerical sex abuse scandal, with priests found guilty of sexual conduct with minors. This has led to a surge in Catholics leaving the Church, with nearly 15,000 people requesting removal from Catholic registries in 2023. The Church in Belgium has a policy of adding a note to baptismal registers for those who request "debaptism," but the entry is not deleted.
The Belgian church established the Catholic University of Louvain in 1834, now split into the Université catholique de Louvain and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), which together form the largest university in Belgium. The archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels is an ex officio member of the board of trustees and the Grand Chancellor of both universities. Notable graduates of the Catholic University include Georges Lemaître, a priest, astronomer, and proposer of the Big Bang theory.
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Catholicism vs Protestantism
Belgium has a long history of religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, dating back to the 16th century. During the Belgian Reformation in 1566, there were an estimated 300,000 Protestants, comprising 20% of the Belgian population. However, the Spanish reconquest of the Southern Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War led to a mass exodus of Belgian Protestants, causing the region to become predominantly Catholic once more.
In the 21st century, Belgium has witnessed significant changes in its religious landscape, with a decline in Catholicism and a corresponding rise in irreligion and the growth of other religions, including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese religions. Despite these shifts, Catholicism remains the largest religious group in Belgium, with an estimated 38%-50% of the population identifying as Catholic.
Protestantism, on the other hand, represents a much smaller proportion of the Belgian population, accounting for approximately 2.5-4% of the total population. The largest Protestant denomination in Belgium is the United Protestant Church, with around 138 affiliated churches.
The theological differences between Catholicism and Protestantism revolve around several key issues:
- Attitude towards the Bible: Protestants generally believe that the Bible is the sole source of doctrine and should be interpreted individually without the need for a mediating authority like the Pope. In contrast, Catholics hold that the Bible needs to be interpreted by the Church, which created it in the first place.
- View of Tradition: Protestants prioritize Scripture as the sole source of authority, whereas Catholics accord equal weight to tradition alongside Scripture, allowing the Church to make pronouncements on contemporary issues not directly addressed in the Bible.
- Salvation and Justification: Protestants emphasize "Sola Fide," or "Faith Alone," believing that faith in Christ alone determines salvation. In contrast, Catholics view justification as a process dependent on the grace received through participation in the Church.
- The Eucharist: During the Eucharist or "The Lord's Supper," Catholics believe in transubstantiation, the literal transformation of the ritual elements into the body and blood of Christ. Some Protestants, like Lutherans, hold to consubstantiation, where Jesus' body and blood coexist with the bread and wine. For Baptists and Presbyterians, the Eucharist is a commemoration, lacking the transformative power that Catholics attribute to it.
- Sacraments: Catholics view the sacraments as ordained by God as a source of grace, while Protestants do not attribute the same significance to them.
- Syncretic Traditions: Protestants questioned and rejected certain traditions introduced by the Catholic Church, such as the worship of saints and the use of man-made statues, which they saw as contradictory to Hebrew law.
- Baptism: Some branches of Protestantism do not baptize infants, believing that baptism should be a decision made by an individual at a more mature age.
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Frequently asked questions
In 2022, 50% of Belgium's roughly 12 million population identified as Catholic.
Sunday Mass attendance is below 7%. However, the number of Belgians attending Mass at Christmas in 2019 was 551,134, compared to 509,000 in 2018.
From 1592 until 1781, Catholicism was the only religion allowed in the territories now forming Belgium. The Belgian Constitution now provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice.
Belgium has witnessed significant changes in its religious demography in the 21st century, characterized by a decline in Catholicism and the growth of irreligion and other religions.
