For German bishops mercy comes at a price, critics charge

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Berlin, Germany, Nov 6, 2014 / 02:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As Cardinal Walter Kasper prepares to receive an award and give a speech at The Catholic University of America later today, a storm is brewing.
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Critics point out that while Cardinal Kasper and most of his fellow German bishops have been leading the charge to allow those in “irregular” marital situations – those who are divorced and remarried – to receive Communion, they have simultaneously denied the sacraments, including even Confession, to those who opt out of paying Germany’s “church tax”: a position seen by critics as hyprocritical.
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In both cases, the German position is at odds with Church teaching: admitting to Communion those formally not allowed, and forbidding those whom the Vatican says can validly receive the sacraments.
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catholicnewsagency.com/news/for-german-bishops-mercy-comes-at-a-price-critics-charge-64855/
 
they have simultaneously denied the sacraments, including even Confession, to those who opt out of paying Germany’s “church tax”: a position seen by critics as hyprocritical
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Give to the taxman, what belongs to the taxman, and give to God what belongs to God. Sadly it still ends up sounding like the sacraments are for sale
 
Hypocrites deny the salvation of souls by Civil law. Civil law is not bound in heaven, so every rejection of the sacrament by a clergyman due to taxes, is a mortal sin. The State cannot decide who goes to heaven. :mad:

…this is one of the reasons why I don’t like Germany.
 
Who are the German bishops to demand anything contrary to what the Church actually states regarding spiritual matters? Can’t they be stopped by Pope Francis and why is it not being done?
 
Tigg said:
Who are the German bishops to demand anything contrary to what the Church actually states regarding spiritual matters? Can’t they be stopped by Pope Francis and why is it not being done?
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They don’t want to lose the revenue, plain and simple.
 
The German state collects tithes for churches as a special tax, if you claim to not be a church member you don’t pay any tax. While I don’t really agree with it, the Bishops are basically saying if you claim not to be Catholic to avoid paying the tax then you must not be a practicing Catholic.
 
PJH_74 said:
The German state collects tithes for churches as a special tax, if you claim to not be a church member you don’t pay any tax. While I don’t really agree with it, the Bishops are basically saying if you claim not to be Catholic to avoid paying the tax then you must not be a practicing Catholic.
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WHICH they cannot do by their own authority since church teaching says otherwise. This is egregious disobedience to the church - WHY are they not being stopped?
 
How does the Church in Germany know who is registered with the State? Do you have to show a tax statement in order to recieve confession?

…basically what this states is that the jobless are excommunicated then, because without employment, one cant register to pay the taxes . So this means the poor are excommunicated in Germany? :mad:
 
TEPO said:
How does the Church in Germany know who is registered with the State?
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I suspect they share the names of people they are collecting money from, you’d need to do this to make sure the money gets the the congregation you go to. Keep in mind opting in or out is voluntary.
TEPO said:
…basically what this states is that the jobless are excommunicated then, because without employment, one cant register to pay the taxes . So this means the poor are excommunicated in Germany? :mad:
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I really doubt that. You’d have lots of excommunicated stay at home parents. The question is have you registered as a member of your church of the church tax vs. how much you have contributed.
 
The problem is, to get out of paying the tax you need to make a public act of apostasy. You can’t receive the sacraments if you’re an apostate until you repent.

The German Church should, IMO, get out of that system that makes people choose between a tax and apostasy, even if it means they can’t be “bishops of bling.” Furthermore, they would be less tempted to try and tickle the ears of their countrymen just to get as many people as possible to keep identifying as Catholic to keep the money flowing. If it’s optional, people will more likely be inspired to give if the bishops are doing their duty as true shepherds worthy of their wages, encouraging people to fidelity, including supporting the clergy’s work, rather than just being able to rely on CINOs forced to pay by law.
 
Just to add, the Church Tax, in my opinion, should go for this reason given by the Second Vatican Council (my emphasis):
Vatican II:
There are, indeed, close links between earthly things and those elements of man’s condition which transcend the world. The Church herself makes use of temporal things insofar as her own mission requires it. She, for her part, does not place her trust in the privileges offered by civil authority. She will even give up the exercise of certain rights which have been legitimately acquired, if it becomes clear that their use will cast doubt on the sincerity of her witness or that new ways of life demand new methods.
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vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html
 
Genesis315 said:
Just to add, the Church Tax, in my opinion, should go for this reason given by the Second Vatican Council (my emphasis):

vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html
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To be fair, the world of finance involves among other things finding ways of raising revenue or spending less in order to improve credit and borrow at lower interest rates. This is happening in some dioceses around the U.S., if not most of them.

This was one of the reasons Pope Francis is asking religious orders to take courses in finance. It’s a matter of survival in many places.
 
PJH_74 said:
I suspect they share the names of people they are collecting money from, you’d need to do this to make sure the money gets the the congregation you go to. Keep in mind opting in or out is voluntary.

I really doubt that. You’d have lots of excommunicated stay at home parents. The question is have you registered as a member of your church of the church tax vs. how much you have contributed.
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Im confused. The article from the OP states:

** “When Germans register as Catholic, Protestant, or Jew on their tax forms, the government automatically collects an income tax from them which amounts to 8 or 9 percent of their total income tax, or 3-4 percent of their salary**.”

…So, what youre saying is that the government shares tax infornation with the Churches, and in this case, Catholics who are not on the list may not recieve sacraments? You do agree this is wrong, right…? Im not understanding what youre doubting. :confused:****
 
…i guess this is what the Church looks like when it becomes undermined by socialism.
 
Tigg said:
Who are the German bishops to demand anything contrary to what the Church actually states regarding spiritual matters? Can’t they be stopped by Pope Francis and why is it not being done?
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It may be time for the Vatican to impose an interdict on Germany. No Sacraments for ANYONE, Bishops at the top of that list, in the Federal Republic of Germany until the Bishop’s Conference renounces the Church Tax.

And then, the whole lot of them should be required to reflect heavily on the “come to the water” passages out of Isaiah 55:1-2. What part of “all who have no money, come!” are they mishearing?

In fact, maybe the Vatican ought to put them under Apostolic visitation and clean house – this is the same German church that as late as 2011 owned outright a publisher that distributed porn as part of their output, and had the so-called “bishop of bling” who spent $43 million on his own residence. Maybe giving them a bit of Franciscan austerity might be the best thing for them.

And as for the argument “well, they have to make a formal act of apostasy,” twaddle. They are by and large still practicing Catholic, they just aren’t saying so on a government form. Tax evasion, perhaps. But that’s not the same as actively denying the faith.
 
PTL said:
Thank you for posting. It gives a glimpse why they promote Communion for homosexuals.
It will surely bring in church tax income!!!
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Something tells me the problem is rooted deeper than that. I get the feeling that something is completely wrong here -the whole mindset. Its not holy, it’s socialism -where the individual is valued less than the whole.
 
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