Bavaria commemorates the centenary of the Concordat.

Meeting of Bishops' Leaders - Bavaria commemorates the centenary of the Concordat.

Markus Söder, the Minister President of Bavaria's CSU, and Reinhard Marx, Chairperson of the Freisinger Bishops' Conference and the Archbishop of Munich, are set to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Bavarian Concordat on Tuesday at 4:00 pm. This event was initially slated for March 29th but was postponed to take place at the Catholic Academy in Munich. The Apostolic Nuncio to the Federal Republic of Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterović, will offer a message.

The Concordat maps out the relationship between the Bavarian government and the Catholic Church and has been in effect since its inception. It stipulates that Bavaria has the right to approve or reject the selection of Catholic bishops in the state, dictates the filling of theological professorships at institutions of higher learning, and permits Catholic religious teachers to be employed in public schools as long as the church does not object.

The compensation paid to the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church from the state coffers are also governed by the Concordat. In 2021, Bavaria granted 77 million euros to the Catholic Church and 26 million euros to the Evangelical Church. Additionally, 27 million euros were earmarked for church building projects. On a national scale, these state benefits for the two major Christian denominations total approximately 550 million euros annually.

The Catholic and Evangelical Churches receive these state allowances in lieu of the expropriation of German churches and monasteries during the secularization process in the early 19th century. As a result, all federal states except Hamburg and Bremen contribute to the coffers of these religious communities. Therefore, those who are not affiliated with these faiths also subsidize them through these state benefits. There is an ongoing discussion at the federal level regarding the potential abolition of state benefits with a 1 billion euro payment to the churches.

Legal Text: Concordat

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1. Markus Söder, from Bavaria's CSU, and Reinhard Marx, the Archbishop of Munich and Chairperson of the Freisinger Bishops' Conference, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bavarian Concordat in Munich's Catholic Academy.
2. As per the Concordat, Bavaria has the power to approve or reject the selection of Catholic bishops in the state, and the filling of theological professorships at higher learning institutions is also dictated by this agreement.
3. In 2021, the Catholic Church in Bavaria received 77 million euros from the state, and the Evangelical Church received 26 million euros, both of which are governed by the Concordat.
4. Reinhard Marx, along with the Catholic Church in Germany, has a close relationship with Markus Söder and the CSU, which is prominent in Bavaria's politics.
5. The ongoing debate at the federal level involves potential abolition of state benefits for religious communities, including the Catholic Church and Evangelical Church, which could lead to a 1 billion euro payment to these churches.
6. The Concordat outlines the relationship between the Bavarian government and the Catholic Church, and its impact can be felt in various aspects of life, such as education, with Catholic religious teachers employed in public schools.
7. Despite German Unification in 1990, the Concordat's relevance remains significant, as it regulates finances and other aspects of the Catholic Church in the Federal Republic of Germany, particularly in Bavaria.

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