Religious Belgians shun churches

4 October 2004

BRUSSELS – Despite the fact that over two thirds of Belgians happily describe themselves as Roman Catholics only one in ten attends church regularly, it emerged on Monday.

According to a report in Le Soir newspaper, church atendance in Belgium has fallen off massively since the 1950s when one out of every two Belgians went to mass every Sunday.

However the newspaper also found that the church is still a popular stopping off point when it comes to key rituals like christenings, weddings and funerals.

The study revealed that 65 percent of Belgians describe themselves as Catholics, four percent as Muslims and one percent as Protestants.

The remaining people questioned either sdaid they had no religious faith or looked for spiritual fulfilment either in other religions such as Buddhism or through so called ‘new age’ activities like yoga, alternative medecine or meditation.

Subject: Belgian news