Cologne archdiocese discloses assets of over $3.8 billion

[cycleman]

Official renunciations of faith have increased in Germany, probably spurred by the extension of the tax to capital gains. One news article I read said 118,000 Catholics renounced in 2012, 178,000 in 2013. If you renounce, you don’t have to pay but the church won’t administer sacraments (I think that’s effective, not formal, excommunication).

With those numbers leaving in a population of some 25 million Catholics, I’m sure the Church couldn’t care less. Unless the flow (not negligible, but not huge) becomes a flood, they still have lots of money coming in.

I am actually puzzled why the government continues to maintain the tax. What’s in it for them? (That’s an honest question, not a comment.)

 

[Joie_de_Vivre]

The reason why the Church in Germany denies sacraments to those who do not pay taxes is because to avoid taxes one must claim one is not a Catholic.

 

[SWolf]

The reason why the Church in Germany denies sacraments to those who do not pay taxes is because to avoid taxes one must claim one is not a Catholic.

That is their smokescreen to justify themselves, but it’s false. The only way one can be denied the sacraments, especially confession, is formal apostasy. Saying “Not Catholic” on a Government letter does not constitute that.

“While these penalties have been described as “de facto excommunication,” the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts wrote in a March 13, 2006, document that opting out of taxes in a civil situation was not the same as renouncing the faith, and thus excommunication did not apply to such persons.”

ncregister.com/daily-news/for-german-bishops-sacramental-mercy-has-a-price#ixzz3SK24BE7e

 

[boar2roar]

The reason why the Church in Germany denies sacraments to those who do not pay taxes is because to avoid taxes one must claim one is not a Catholic.

And what a weak and cynical way of attempting to justify getting tons of cash or else. They’re almost like the old Gallican Church, just instead of being wrapped up in state politics it’s just money and being like a business for them.

 

[weller2]

The reason why the Church in Germany denies sacraments to those who do not pay taxes is because to avoid taxes one must claim one is not a Catholic.

To stop paying, you go to the tax office and they ask you to sign a formal declaration of apostasy.

There was a big story in Polish media a couple of years ago about a guy who went to work to Germany, decided that he does not like to pay the tax, went to the tax office, and signed “some paper in Latin”. He came back to Poland and went to his parish to get married only to learn that he is now an apostate…

After that, the apostasy rules in Polish church got changed – binding declarations must be filed in person with 2 witnesses, notifications from Germany go into the trash.

“While these penalties have been described as “de facto excommunication,” the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts wrote in a March 13, 2006, document that opting out of taxes in a civil situation was not the same as renouncing the faith, and thus excommunication did not apply to such persons.”

I think this decision is the product of the same case.