Church attendance in Belgium on Sundays increased slightly – by 3.6% – last year, according to data on religious practice released on Tuesday by the Belgian Bishops’ Conference.
In 2024, Belgian parishes conducted 29,769 baptisms of babies, 362 adult baptisms, 30,523 first communions, 27,458 confirmations of children, 171 adult confirmations, 4,896 religious marriages, and 35,515 religious funerals, accounting for 31.7% of deaths.
“We are witnessing a gradual shift from cultural Christianity to conviction-based Christianity,” says Bart Willemen, secretary of the Flemish Interdiocesan Commission for Catechesis. More individuals are consciously opting for initiation sacraments — baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation — rather than following family tradition, he explains.
Sunday church attendance has also increased: on the third Sunday of October, which is a regular liturgical Sunday, 173,335 churhgoers were recorded, up from 167,360 one year before.
“In some parishes, it is not feasible to hold a service every Sunday for practical reasons,” the Bishops’ Conference explains. “It is worth noting that the number of attendees on the third Sunday of October should not be directly equated with the number of practising Catholics who attend Mass at least once a month. This figure is higher in reality.”
The Conference believes it is too early to declare a genuine trend change.
“The rise in attendance appears mainly in urban areas, where vibrant religious communities offer additional appeal,” it notes.
