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German bishops defend exclusion of Catholics who stop paying tax
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The German bishops’ conference defended a controversial decree that said Catholics who stop paying a church membership tax cannot receive sacraments.
“There must be consequences for people who distance themselves from the church by a public act,” said Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg, conference president, in defending the Sept. 20 decree.
“Clearly, someone withdrawing from the church can no longer take advantage of the system like someone who remains a member,” he said at a Sept. 24 news conference as the bishops began a four-day meeting in Fulda. “We are grateful Rome has given completely clear approval to our stance.”
The archbishop said each departure was “painful for the church,” adding that bishops feared many Catholics were unaware of the consequences and would be “open to other solutions.”
“The Catholic church is committed to seeking out every lost person,” said Archbishop Zollitsch, whose remarks were reported by Germany’s Die Welt daily.
“At issue, however, is the credibility of the church’s sacramental nature. One cannot be half a member or only partly a member. Either one belongs and commits, or one renounces this,” Archbishop Zollitsch said.
Catholics make up 30 percent of Germany’s population of 82.3 million, about the same proportion as Protestants, with 2 percent belonging to Orthodox denominations, according to government figures. [More]
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8 Comments
In some European countries, they don’t pass the collection basket like we do in the U.S. You pay taxes which the gov’t collects and distributes to the church you belong to. This “no tax, no sacraments” policy sounds harsh to us, because there is no one dictating what we contribute> But that’s the way they do things there.
First of all–how will a given church know if a person is not a dues paying member? Government records? Secondly I believe there is a way under Canon Law to sue/petition to enforce one’s right to the sacraments and services of the Church. Fertile ground for an ambitious energetic lawyer who can get admitted to practice in the Canon Courts.
It is a sin to connect in any way the Sacraments and money. The Sacraments are gifts from God – they do not belong to the Bishops or the Pope. The grace of the Sacraments are not dependent on the amount of money a person gives. The German heirarchy and the Vatican by virtue of giving approval and support for this horrible decision, are setting the Church back. They have provided yet another “blackeye” for the Church. The Bishops and those who gave approval for this have a lot of forgiveness to seek from God for abusing the Sacraments in such a manner.
Nice angle Concerned.
The German Catholics should go back to the basics and just meet, discuss and pray in each other’s homes as the first Christians did. Organized religion has done nothing but divide! Just look at the psychotic situation in the Middle East.
Money is the root of all evil!
AB Zollitsch says “The Catholic Church is committed to seeking out every lost person.” If this were true, the sexual abuse of children would have stopped decades ago. The sacraments are not rewards for good behavior!
The German bishops have now revived the 500 year old debate and religious wars over paying for indulgences. Now, as then, money does not purchase salvation because it cannot! Martin Luther was right all along, the Catholic bishops have not learned and will not learn.