Bishop Georg Batzing Catholic bishops in Germany have voiced their disapproval at Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision not to lift the ban on public church services.
Despite allowing thousands of shops to reopen, Merkel said the ban on public church services should remain until further notice.
She also announced that a state secretary of the interior ministry would talk with religious communities about the future of public services.
Bishop Georg Batzing, president of the German Catholic bishops’ conference, said he could not understand why the ban should remain in place while restrictions were being eased in other parts of public life.
In particular, Bishop Batzing gave reference to a recent decision by the Federal Constitutional Court on the matter.
The court had ruled that the ban constituted a serious encroachment on the fundamental right to religious freedom and should therefore be reviewed continuously.
The priest added that Easter had shown that church services gave millions of people guidance and support in the difficult circumstances caused by the coronavirus crisis.
He said the ban was a major impediment to the freedom of religious practice.
In a separate interview with national newspaper Die Welt, he stressed that he could speak for the Church in stating that it would be able to stick to hygiene standards and social distancing rules in churches.
Meanwhile, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, president of the Protestant Council, said he was confident that the discussions with the federal government “will very soon lead to a consensus that will make responsible forms of worship in our churches possible again”.