Higher Administrative Court of Bautzen: Corona rules for pastoral care illegally!

Higher Administrative Court of Bautzen: Corona rules for pastoral care illegally!

A groundbreaking judgment of the Bautzen Higher Administrative Court has targeted the Corona emergency regulation of 2021! The Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxony (EVLKS) cheers, because the court declared the regulations that severely restricted the practice of religion. This was announced on Thursday after the reason for the judgment of August 24, 2024 was published.

The controversial regulation of November 19, 2021 asked pastors to check the vaccination status of those seeking help in pastoral talks. The court made it clear that this regulation represents a "disproportionate intervention" that made it impossible to do pastoral care in critical situations, such as dying or seriously ill people. In addition, the number of participants in funding was limited to a maximum of 20 people - this was also classified as unlawful, since significantly more participants were allowed at other events.

3-G control remains

But not all regulations were rejected! The court confirmed that the 3-G principle-access only for vaccinated, tested or recovered persons-is compatible with religious freedom. The EVLKs emphasized that it had recommended its communities to offer all visitors, regardless of their vaccination status, to avoid testing on site to avoid exclusions. During the pandemic, it was also advisable to keep church and chapels open to individual visits.

The regional church had already applied for the review of these regulations on February 24, 2022 in a standard control procedure. The now published judgment of the highest Saxon administrative court brings a breath of fresh air to the discussion about the corona measures and their effects on the practice of religion.