Church should stay out of politics, German believes
A nun together with other believers attends a mass. Photo AFP, Ina Fassbender
Central Europe
Churches should not speak out on political issues, the majority of Germans agree. They responded to a statement in a survey on behalf of the German press agency IDEA.
About 55 per cent thinks politics is not the field of the church. Approximately 24 per cent holds the opposite view, IDEA reports. It adds that men are more likely to agree with the statement than women (59 per cent compared to 51 per cent). Also, people from West Germany responded more confirmative than those from the East of the country.
Younger people disagreed most with the statement. Less than half (49 per cent) of the participants under 18 agreed. In the age group of 50 to 59 years, the support for the statement was the largest (61 per cent).
Of the different church denominations, participants belonging to the free church agreed most that the church should not mingle in political affairs. They are followed by Roman Catholic believers, of whom 53 per cent shares that opinion. Among Protestants, 50 per cent think the church should stay out of politics.
Related Articles
