Catholics to Exclude Dodgers of Church Tax

The Australian
September 22, 2012

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/catholics-to-exclude-dodgers-of-church-tax/story-e6frg6so-1226479047469

ROMAN Catholics in Germany who decline to pay the country's church tax will be denied communion, confession and a religious burial under moves signed by the Pope that, in effect, excommunicate them.

The decree, issued yesterday by Germany's bishops and approved by Benedict XVI, seeks to end a long-running dispute over the implications for Germany's 24.6 million Catholics of opting out from a church tax. It will block churchgoers who choose not to pay the optional levy from becoming godparents or belonging to a Roman Catholic congregation.

The church tax, which is collected by provincial authorities and is between 8 per cent and 9 per cent of income depending on the state collecting it, raises almost €5 billion ($6.2bn) a year.

"The declaration of leaving the church before the competent civil authority ... is a deliberate and wilful alienation from the church and is a grave offence against the Christian community," states the decree, which comes into effect this weekend.

The document does not use the word "excommunication" but spells out "legal" sanctions that amount to the same thing.

Until now, Catholics have been permitted to remain members of the church even if they choose not to pay the tax.

The issue was forced on to the agenda by the refusal of a prominent Catholic academic to pay the tax. Hartmut Zapp, a retired canon lawyer, was taken to court but claimed his religious rights. "What bothers me is that a member of the church of Christ loses his soul because of a declaration before a state authority," he said.

His appeal verdict at the Federal Administrative Court is expected soon.

There were also warnings that the rule would further reduce the popularity of the Catholic Church in Germany. The number of German Catholics fell by 181,000 in 2010, according to figures published by the German Bishops' Conference.

Herbert Frahm, a former Catholic, said: "I have resigned from this hypocritical club. There are many ways to do good with the money I have saved from the church tax. Leaving the church does not change anything about my religious beliefs. I am extremely doubtful whether Jesus Christ would pay his church tax to stay in this club."

Germany's bishops risk being seen as "keen to impose money-grubbing sanctions", warned the newspaper Die Welt in an editorial.