Freedom of Religious Worship

Germany’s Basic Law guarantees freedom of religion. Article 4 of the constitution states that “freedom of faith and of conscience and freedom to profess a religious or philosophical creed shall be inviolable.” This includes the freedom to profess and practise a religion, along with the freedom not to profess any religion.

Germany’s religious landscape is increasingly shaped by diversity and secularisation. Nearly 50% of the German population say they belong to one of the major Christian denominations. The Roman Catholic church in Germany is organised into the 27 Roman Cath­olic dioceses under the German Bishops’ Conference, while Protestant churches are organised into regional churches under the umbrella organisation of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD). With 20.3 million members in Germany, the Roman Catholic church belongs to the worldwide church with the Pope at its head. The EKD is the association of the 20 independent regional Lutheran, Reformed and United churches. With around 19 million members, it includes the majority of German Protestant Christians. Around 43% of the population do not belong to any religious denomination, while 9% are of different faith.

Wachsende Pluralität und zunehmende Säkularisierung kennzeichnen die religiöse Landschaft in Deutschland.

Die kirchliche Statistik zählt rund 19,8 Millionen Mitglieder der katholischen und knapp 18 Millionen Mitglieder der evangelischen Kirche. Außerdem gehören in Deutschland rund 285.000 Personen den evangelischen Freikirchen und 366.000 anderen christlichen Kirchen und Gemeinschaften sowie rund 3,85 Millionen den orthodoxen Kirchen an. Die beiden großen christlichen Konfessionen sind in den 27 katholischen Diözesen und der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz sowie den evangelischen Landeskirchen und der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland als Dachverband organisiert.

Die katholische Kirche mit 19,8 Millionen Mitgliedern in Deutschland gehört der Weltkirche mit dem Papst als Oberhaupt der römisch-katholischen Kirche an. Die Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) ist die Gemeinschaft der 20 selbstständigen evangelischen Landeskirchen lutherischen, reformierten und unierten Bekenntnisses. Mit rund 18 Millionen Mitgliedern umfasst sie den größten Teil der evangelischen Christen. 50,1 Prozent der Bevölkerung in Deutschland haben einen anderen Glauben oder sind konfessionslos.

Migration is making Islam an increasingly significant part of religious life. While no definitive survey has been carried out, the number of Muslims in Germany has been estimated to be between 5.3 and 5.6 million, with roots in 50 different nations. Large Muslim communities have grown up in many cities. The German Islam Conference (DIK) was established in 2006 and provides an official framework for interaction between Muslims and the German state. German universities also offer training programmes for imams, and the Federal Government Federal Government The Federal Government and cabinet is made up of the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Ministers. While the Chancellor holds the power to issue directives, the ministers have departmental powers, meaning that they independently run their respective ministries in the framework of those directives… Read more › intends to expand these services.

Jewish life in Germany, which was entirely destroyed by the Holocaust, is once again firmly rooted in Germany. It is estimated that 200,000 Jews now live in Germany. Approximately 90,000 are members of around 100 Jewish congregations across a broad spectrum of religious traditions. They are represented by the Central Council of Jews in Germany, which was established in 1950.

Das jüdische Leben, das nach dem Holocaust völlig zerstört war, ist in Deutschland wieder fest verankert. Heute leben schätzungsweise 200.000 Jüdinnen und Juden in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Rund 90.000 von ihnen sind in rund 100 jüdischen Gemeinden organisiert, die ein weites religiöses Spektrum aufweisen und vom 1950 gegründeten Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland vertreten werden.

Germany does not have an established church. Instead, the state works with religious communities as partners. The state contributes to funding kindergartens and schools that are sponsored by religious communities. The churches levy a church tax which is collected by the state to fund social, medical and other services. Schools must provide religious education as part of their standard curriculum, although restrictions to this apply in Berlin Berlin Once a year, during the Berlinale film festival, the world of the silver screen focuses its attention on Berlin. And the city’s inhabitants are used to global interest. After all, the people of Berlin have lived in a capital city since 1458. However, there is also a shady side to the city’s history… Read more › and Bremen Bremen The Hanseatic city of Bremen arose through classic maritime trading, in particular with coffee. In the smallest of the federal states (divided into the city of Bremen, and Bremerhaven, some 60 kilometers to the north) the port accounts for every fifth job. The largest private employer, however, is… Read more › .

The teaching of Islam as part of religious education is being expanded. Additional teachers are being trained to ensure that Muslim children and young people who attend school in Germany can be offered religious.