Lutherans to Open Doors
to Cash-Strapped Catholics
Strapped for funds and faced with church closures, Catholics in Lower Saxony have appealed to Lutherans to share churches. It wouldn't be the first time two of Germany's Christian churches share houses of worship.
The Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim in the northern state of Lower Saxony on Monday, Jan. 21, asked the Lutherans in the state for permission to hold religious services in their facilities.
The diocese, one of 27 in Germany, said it planned to close 80 of its 438 churches due to a budget crunch. It will also require local communities to pay for the upkeep of dozens more.
Arend de Vries, a senior official in Lower Saxony's Protestant Church said he was open to the idea but would wait for an official request from the diocese before making the Catholics an offer.
A further consequence of the Hildesheim Massacre.
Strapped for funds and faced with church closures, Catholics in Lower Saxony have appealed to Lutherans to share churches. It wouldn't be the first time two of Germany's Christian churches share houses of worship.
The Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim in the northern state of Lower Saxony on Monday, Jan. 21, asked the Lutherans in the state for permission to hold religious services in their facilities.
The diocese, one of 27 in Germany, said it planned to close 80 of its 438 churches due to a budget crunch. It will also require local communities to pay for the upkeep of dozens more.
Arend de Vries, a senior official in Lower Saxony's Protestant Church said he was open to the idea but would wait for an official request from the diocese before making the Catholics an offer.
A further consequence of the Hildesheim Massacre.
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