Empty Churches, Full Mosques, in Europe

LONDON — For sale: One grand 19th-century church suitable for development as offices or condos. Asking price of $700,000.

The stone Carntyne Old Church in Glasgow, Scotland, is on the market, a sign of the times in secular Europe as church attendance has dwindled.

Last week, in a speech on religion, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, a Mormon, told Americans to appreciate the "profound implications" of their religious traditions.

In contrast he pointed to Europe and its grand cathedrals — so inspired, yet so empty.

Western Europe has long been seen as more secular and indifferent to Christian faith than the United States, where politics and social debate are often saturated with religious voices.

Fewer than 20 percent of people in Western Europe say they go to church twice a month or more. In the United States, a 2006 poll showed that 43 percent of people said they attended church fairly regularly.

Meanwhile, Europe's Muslim population has swelled as immigration has increased. While Muslims comprise about 5 percent of Europe's population of 425 million, Islam is the fastest growing religion.

George Carey, a retired leader of the Church of England, the country's largest denomination, has likened his church to a doddering old lady who "mutters away to herself in a corner, ignored most of the time."

A recent survey found Britons to be ignorant of the Christmas story, with 27 percent of adults unable to name Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace.

Empty pews in Europe have led to the conversion of many churches into residential units or business offices.

"Changing demographics in particular parts of Scotland, mostly in rural areas, have resulted in a number of congregational unions and, consequently, the sale of church buildings in recent decades," said Grant McLennan, a spokesman for the Church of Scotland.

But for Christians, there are some hopeful signs.

In places like heavily Catholic Ireland, more than 60 percent of people say they attend services regularly.

In some parts of Western Europe church attendance is up thanks in large part to an influx of devout Eastern European immigrants.

At the same time, ethnic minorities and particularly black Pentecostal Christians are helping to beef up dwindling congregations in many cities. Black people now account for 10 percent of all churchgoers in England, up from 7 percent in 1998.

"Church attendance in the UK is currently actually rising in some areas thanks to the immigration of Polish and other workers into Britain," said Douglas Murray, director of the Center for Social Cohesion, a think tank in London.

"And though native church attendance may have gone down, I think that — historically — church attendance is not plummeting in the way some people portray it," he said.

Britain is considered perhaps the most secular country in Europe. Only 6.3 percent of the population attends church twice or more a month, according to Christian Research, a publishing group in London. And it's expected to fall to 2 percent by 2040.

In contrast, Muslims are only about 3 percent of Britain's population but there are now more people attending mosque regularly than going to church, according to a report by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. A 2005 survey found that about 80 percent of Muslims in London say they attend mosque regularly.

Muslim growth throughout Europe has prompted many Europeans to reconsider whether Christianity might serve as a useful social foundation.

"I think it's made more people remember their roots — not least of which are the unique Judeo-Christian-derived traditions of pluralism, tolerance, rights, and the rule of law," Murray said.

Many European churches are working hard to retain younger members and to appeal to new converts in an effort to turn the tide.

"One of the main trends we're seeing is ... congregations that are most likely to survive are those large enough to offer a wide range of provisions for different social and age groups," said Gordon Lynch, professor of sociology in religion at Birkbeck University of London.

"Small congregations are more likely to struggle to survive and some of their members are likely to relocate to large congregations that can offer provisions like youth ministries," Lynch said.

With Christmas coming, all churches are likely to see an influx of parishioners.

Each year, pews have become more and more packed during the holiday season.

In Britain, for example, the number of people who attended services last year on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day was up 7 percent over the year before.

Mark McVay, a spokesman for St. Paul's Cathedral in London, said the church had to add an additional carol service last Christmas Eve to accommodate everyone wanting to attend.

This year a carol service has been added on Dec. 23.

"Last year we filled the cathedral for both services," he said. "Hopefully we'll do the same this year."