The Catholic Church reports a sharp increase in requests for debaptism

Between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, 14,251 people were removed the Catholic Church's baptismal registers in Belgium. This figure is much higher than in previous years when the average number of those requesting debaptism generally hovered around 1,200. An exception to this was 2021 when the previous a record figure of more than 5,000 was recorded.

98% of all debaptisms took place in Flanders and the diocese of Mechelen-Brussels that includes parts of Flanders, parts of Wallonia and the whole of the Brussels-Capital Region.

No reason is given for requesting to be struck off the baptismal register. However, the Church says that many people decided that they wanted to be “debaptised” out of disgust at the sexual abuse committed by clergy and the culture of silence about the issue of abuse that prevailed in the past. These were the themes highlighted in the VRT television documentary series ‘Godvergeten’ that was broadcast in September 2023.

Another striking figure in the report is that 218 reports of sexual abuse in the Church were recorded between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. This is almost five times more than during the previous year, when 47 reports were recorded. According to the Church, most of the abuse took place in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The Church suspects that the ‘Godvergeten’ documentary series has had a positive effect in encouraging people to come forward.