As large demonstrations in Bavaria over the past weeks have shifted the tone of the parties towards the churches, a new dynamic has emerged. While Minister-President Markus Söder of the Christian Social Union (CSU) has refused to back down in the face of criticism from church representatives over the asylum policy of the Union, the Greens in the state are seeking a rapprochement. According to a report by the “Spiegel” the Greens are willing to work with the churches.
“The church is there for all people, not just the ruling class” said Claudia Köhler, the deputy chair of the Green Party’s faction and a part-time church administrator and budget expert for her faction. “The agreed-upon funds come from the state budget, not the CSU’s election campaign fund. By decree, Minister Söder cannot simply abolish them” Köhler emphasized.
At the CSU party convention, Söder had addressed the churches, saying, “Make it a bit easier for us sometimes.” Bavaria, Söder claimed, is the most church-friendly federal state, with crosses, religious education, taxes and salaries that are, after all, paid for. The Catholic Church in Bavaria received around 80 million euros in the previous year, while the Evangelical State Church received roughly 26 million.