If the AfD comes to power in Saxony‑Anhalt after the September state election, churches in the region warn of imminent insolvency.
Karsten Wolkenhauer, president of the Evangelical State Church of Anhalt, told the “Tagesspiegel” that a new state government could simply withhold all state payments and church taxes, leaving the church “broke in less than a year”.
He added that legally cutting funding would amount to a constitutional violation, yet the AfD could ignore current law and stop payments outright. “A constitutional complaint would take two to three years” he said, but the church would already be insolvent in the meantime.
The church’s annual budget is about 20 million euros, roughly half of which comes from state aid and church tax combined. Without those funds, schools, kindergartens, telephone counselling services, soup kitchens, and food banks would have to close. Elderly care and social welfare would collapse, and ordinary neighbourhood work would disappear. “I take this very seriously” Wolkenhauer said.
The Catholic side shares the same fears. Bishop Gerhard Feige of the Diocese of Magdeburg told the “Tagesspiegel” that the situation is “dramatic”. He noted that although legal experts say it cannot happen to withhold funds, “Trump is doing it right now”. He added, “The facts are created, we could fight for years, but the money would be gone for the first time”.
Feige said that 20 percent of the diocese’s 38 million‑euro budget comes from state subsidies. The diocese has little in the way of reserves. If subsidies cease, parishes, schools and social services would no longer be able to operate. For the diocese, the consequences would be existential.
Wolkenhauer also warned that the problem could spread beyond Saxony‑Anhalt. Public corporations are insolvent, so the EKD would have to step in. He said a similar scenario in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern would put three major state churches at risk, as state aid totals about 70 million euros there. “That can’t be sustained for long, not even for the EKD” he said. “The political programme feeds the impression that the AfD wants to abolish churches, charity and neighbourly love as quickly as possible”.
Bishop Feige echoed that the threat is not limited to Saxony‑Anhalt. He said until now people thought it impossible, but it is no longer the case. “We have to discuss this at the bishops’ conference now. There is an emergency system that activates if a diocese becomes insolvent, but it is only temporary. I hope we never reach that point”.
In response to questions, a spokesperson for the EKD was initially cautious. He said that the work of the Evangelical churches benefits everyone, regardless of church membership, and for example, every second kindergarten in Germany is operated under Christian auspices. “Cutting the churches’ essential social work would mean a colder climate, higher costs for care and longer distances for many people in Germany” the spokesperson explained.