5 facts about Catholics in Europe
The Catholic Church remains closely tied to Europe. Catholics are the largest religious group in many of the continent’s most populous countries.
The European continent today is split in public attitudes toward religion, minorities and social issues such as gay marriage and legal abortion.
Giving a share of one’s income to the church has been a part of European tradition for centuries. Today, several countries continue to collect a “church tax” on behalf of officially recognized religious organizations, in some cases levying the tax on all registered members.
The majority of Europe’s Christians are non-practicing, but they differ from religiously unaffiliated people in their views on God, attitudes toward Muslims and immigrants, and opinions about religion’s role in society.
Even with no new migration, Muslims are projected to increase as a share of Europe’s population.
Concentrated in Europe, Orthodox Christians have declined as share of the global Christian population, from 20% in 1910 to 12% today. But the Ethiopian community is highly observant and growing.
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