Church and state - Resistance from the federal states to the redemption of church payments
In the German states, there is growing opposition to the plans of the Traffic Light Government to reduce state subsidies to churches in Germany by paying a billion-dollar sum. According to a survey by the German Press Agency, this is what some states have to say.
"The Minister Presidents' Conference has dealt with the matter in the past and is critically opposed to it," it is stated, for example, from Brandenburg. "No consensus model for the write-off is known among all parties involved," a spokesperson for the Ministry for Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg shares.
And: "The write-off through the provision of a compensation payment - whether as a one-time payment or in installments - is currently hardly feasible given the presence of multiple crises and their financial consequences."
From North Rhine-Westphalia it is stated: "Given the financial and social dimensions of the matter and other pressing challenges, there is still agreement in the circle of states that many questions need to be clarified before talks for understanding can be considered."
The churches in Germany receive state subsidies for the expropriation of German churches and monasteries at the beginning of the 19th century as part of the secularization. Besides Hamburg and Bremen, all federal states pay an annual sum to the Catholic and the Protestant Church accordingly, as regulated by respective contracts - for example, the Bavarian Concordat. Recently, it was a total of around 550 million Euros nationwide per year.
The Traffic Light Government wants to pay off the churches and separate church and state. The opposition factions in the German Bundestag, Union and AfD, also speak in rare unanimity in favor of this.
The states would have to provide the sum. Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) had recently demanded that the discussion on the state subsidies be completely terminated. He wants, "that it be put on ice," so Söder. Most of his Minister President colleagues share this view.
Konkordat - Law Text
- In response to the Traffic Light Government's plan to reduce church subsidies, there's notable resistance from several German states, as reported by the German Press Agency.
- Brandenburg, for instance, expresses strong opposition to the plan, stating that no consensus model for the write-off is known among all involved parties.
- The financial and social implications of the matter, along with other pressing challenges, require further clarification before any talks for understanding can commence, according to North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Throughout German history, including the 19th century secularization, churches have received state subsidies, including in Bavaria as outlined in the Bavarian Concordat.
- Currently, states such as Baden-Württemberg contribute around 550 million Euros annually to Catholic and Protestant churches, as per contractual agreements.
- As the Traffic Light Government aims to pay off the churches and separate church and state, the financial burden falls on the states, and Bavaria's Minister President, Markus Söder, advocates for an end to discussions on church subsidies.
