Germany: Difference between revisions

  | patron_saints = Saint Boniface, Saint Michael the Archangel

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'''Germany''' is a Central European nation, covering approximately 357,582 km² with a population of about 84 million as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Germany |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ |publisher=CIA World Factbook |date=2024-12-01 |access-date=2025-05-20}}</ref> Its official language is [[German]], and its economy thrives on manufacturing, technology, and trade. The [[Catholic Church]], with approximately 21 million adherents (25% of the population), is the second-largest religious group after Protestantism (26%), introduced in the 4th century AD during Roman times.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religion in Germany |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2020/04/15/religion-in-germany/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=2020-04-15 |access-date=2025-05-20}}</ref> Catholicism shapes Germany’s culture through historic cathedrals, festivals, and saints like [[Saint Boniface]] and [[Saint Michael the Archangel]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catholicism in Germany |url=https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/germany |publisher=Catholics & Cultures |date=2020-06-15 |access-date=2025-05-20}}</ref>

Notable figures include [[Saint Boniface]] (canonized 739, Apostle to the Germans), [[Saint Hildegard of Bingen]] (canonized 2012, mystic), [[Saint Albert the Great]] (canonized 1931, theologian), [[Saint Edith Stein]] (canonized 1998, martyr), and [[Blessed Adolph Kolping]] (beatified 1991, social reformer).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saints of Germany |url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/csaints/documents/rc_con_csaints_doc_19981011_stein_en.html |publisher=Vatican |date=1998-10-11 |access-date=2025-05-20}}</ref>

== Challenges to Catholicism ==