Mass media: over 25 thousand believers quit the Church of Norway after launching an Internet-page

Over 25 thousand people quit the Evangelic-Lutheran Church of Norway after its new web-page had been launched, which allows to join the church or quit it. It is reported by RIA News.

According to the church information, only 1177 joined it within August, whereas 25 743 believers quit the church. However, head of the Norwegian bishops Conference Helga Haugland Byfuglien is not inclined to think this statistics to be mass exodus of parishioners. In her opinion, launching a new web-page has attracted huge attention of the media, therefore, the Church expected a certain amount of the faithful to leave it.

"We respect an individual choice of everybody,” noted Byfuglien.

Head of the Church Council Jens-Petter Johnsen admitted 25 thousand people to be an abnormally big figure. “We anticipate that the quantity of people quitting the church will dramatically reduce once the media attention weakens,” hopefully said Johnsen.

To date, the Evangelic-Lutheran Church is attended by nearly 3,9 million parishioners, including those living abroad. Since 2016 about 34 thousand people have quit the church, with only 2 thousand having joined it. Lutheran Church is an official state Church of Norway, yet the process of separation of the church from the state is under way.