Fewer than half of the people in Germany belong to one of its two major churches: It is high time to abolish the privileges of the church
Less than half of the German population still belongs to one of its two main churches – yet these institutions still enjoy enormous privileges. The state finds it convenient for the German Evangelical Church and Catholic Church to perform social and welfare work, even if how that work is regulated contradicts labour laws. The ecclesiastical judiciary prosecutes sexual abuse and embezzlement half-heartedly, while secular courts merely look on. All the while, the churches together collect half a billion euros in state tax money every year because their monasteries were expropriated 200 years ago. According to Thomas Schüller, a well-known canon lawyer who is unafraid of confrontation, both parties benefit from this collusion. Society has changed – and it is high time that we bring this unholy alliance to an end.
Köln
Karl Rahner Akademie,
Jabachstraße 4-8,
50676 Köln
