State and religion in transition: insight into the new lecture series!

State and religion in transition: insight into the new lecture series!

On Monday, April 14, 2025, a lecture as part of the “University in the Town Hall” series will take place in the Citizens' Hall of the Greifswald Town Hall. The lecture by Prof. Dr. Claus Dieter Classen is entitled “State and Religion in the 21st Century” and begins at 5:00 p.m. This event is organized by the city of Greifswald and the University of Greifswald and is free of charge. The lecture will deal with the constitutional principles and current developments in the relationship between state and religion.

The topic is particularly relevant due to its historical roots, which go back to the Weimar Constitution of 1919. This constitution reorganized the relationship between state and church, which represented an outstanding turning point after centuries of bloody religious wars and a mixture of secular and spiritual power that had lasted for centuries. The then Kaiser Wilhelm II, who served as both secular ruler and supreme bishop of the Protestant Church of Prussia, was deprived of power with the end of the monarchy in 1918.

From cultural compromise to constitutional regulation

Article 137 of the Weimar Constitution states: "There is no state church. Each religious community organizes and manages its affairs independently." This “friendly” separation of church and state was negotiated in the so-called cultural compromise. In this context, it was also stipulated that religious education in public schools should be the responsibility of religious communities but should be monitored by the state (Article 149). The challenges and discussions that existed back then have a long-term impact on the current relationship between state and religion, which is enshrined in the Basic Law of 1949.

The Weimar Constitution led to peaceful coexistence between religions in Germany, even if in practice the religious constitutional law did not always correspond to the constitutional text. The lecture particularly addresses the question of the extent to which fundamental decisions regarding public holidays, religious education and state services are affected by social changes in the 21st century. Prof. Dr. Classen would like to examine possible legal changes in the relationship between state and religion and show that the basic decisions of the constitution are considered largely unchanged.

State services and their significance

A central issue is state benefits, which were originally introduced to compensate churches for the loss of income following secularization in the 19th century. These payments amount to around 548 million euros annually and represent another regulatory point in the relationship between state and church. The question of replacing these state benefits was discussed again and again both during the Weimar period and in the Federal Republic of Germany, but without any notable successes.

The current discussions about the relationship between state and religion are not only historical, but also extremely current. Prof. Dr. With his remarks and the subsequent discussion, Classen will encourage the audience to reflect on how the legal framework can continue to develop in a changing society.

For further information about the lecture series, those interested can visit the University of Greifswald website: www.uni-greifswald.de/uni-rathaus. If you have any questions, you can contact University Communications on +49 3834 420 1150 or by email at pressestelle@uni-greifswald.de be contacted.