It is a paradox of modern Germany that church and state remain so intimately tied. That bond persists more and more awkwardly, it seems, as the church\u2019s relationship with followers continues to fray amid growing secularization.<\/p>\n
Last week one of Germany\u2019s highest courts rankled Catholic bishops by ruling that the state recognized the right of Catholics to leave the church \u201d\u201d and therefore avoid paying a tax that is used to support religious institutions. The court ruled it was a matter of religious freedom, while religious leaders saw the decision as yet another threat to their influence on modern German society.<\/p>\n
With its ruling the court also dodged the thorny issue of what happens when a parishioner formally quits the church, stops paying taxes, but then wants to attend services anyway. The court said that, too, was a matter of religious freedom, a decision that so rankled religious leaders fearful of losing a lucrative revenue stream that they made clear, right away, that taxes are the price for participation in the church\u2019s most sacred rituals: no payments, no sacraments.<\/p>\n