Four in five of the Netherlands’ 640 Catholic church parishes are in financial difficulty, Trouw reported on Tuesday.

The paper said the parishes posted a combined loss of €15m last year, as coronavirus, the aging population and secularization of society took hold.

Some 3.7 million people in the Netherlands are members of the Catholic church although only 4%, or some 150,000 people, regularly attend services.

Many parishes are now merging or selling off church buildings in an effort to bring down their costs, Trouw said.