Lay German Catholics call for national strategy to fight money crisis

Published: 2004-06-22

ULM, Germany (CNS) --- Germany's lay Catholics have called for a national church financial strategy to fight budget shortfalls. "So far, we have the impression that every diocese thinks it would survive better on its own," said Hans Joachim Meyer, president of the lay Central Committee of German Catholics. The committee met in Ulm June 15 before the opening of the German Catholic Church assembly, or Katholikentag. Several dioceses have been forced to make sharp cuts in their budgets over the past year; lay leaders are calling for a voice in decisions on to how to deal with the problem. The consensus is that the financial crisis was caused by a reduction in church income resulting from a reduction in the state's tax revenues. In Germany, major churches are financed by a levy of 8 percent to 9 percent on every church member's tax bill. Cuts in tax rates and growing unemployment led to a severe loss of income for the churches. A loss of members has exacerbated the budget woes.

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