Cuts, control, criminalization: How the AfD wants to bleed the churches dry:
The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt wants to get its hands on the churches' money ...
spiegel.de/panorama/sachsen-anhalt-wie-die-afd-die-kirchen-bekaempft-a-7ef0dc5a-4ea2-45a6-98c9-685ef9b7dc98
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AfD Targets Church Funding with Harsh MeasuresStarting September, the party plans to redistribute state funds and abolish church asylum, impacting Catholics and Protestants deeply.
Key FactsMay 25, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: spiegel.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: spiegel.de
- The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt aims to severely affect church finances through state funding cuts and redistribution.
- Their election program includes transferring state subsidies to all Christian churches and requiring churches to collect their own taxes.
- Plans also involve ending church asylum and possibly prosecuting those responsible for it.
- Bishop Gerhard Feige condemns the AfD for viewing churches as enemies due to their opposition to exclusion and defense of human dignity.
We are obviously seen as enemies, because we oppose exclusion and defend the same god-given dignity of all people.— Gerhard Feige, Bishop of Magdeburg, quoted in the article about AfD criticism of the church
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Key FactsAfD Launches Direct Attack on Churches in Saxony-Anhalt
Feb 2, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- AfD’s draft program proposes ending state payments to churches and stopping tax collection via financial authorities.
- The party accuses churches of promoting rainbow ideology and opposes their migration policies.
- Removing funding risks dismantling essential church-run social services like childcare, hospitals, and counseling centers.
- Church leaders warn of existential threats and emphasize the societal harm caused by AfD’s agenda.
When coexistence is up for debate because groups of people are excluded, because ways of life are discredited, or because social institutions are destroyed, it harms everyone.— Christoph Stolte, head of Diakonie Mitteldeutschland, commented on the effects of AfD policy on societal coexistence.
AfD Saxony-Anhalt wants to cut church funding: "We'd be bankrupt in less than a year"
fr.de/politik/afd-in-sachsen-anhalt-will-kirchen-alle-gelder-streichen-94148347.html
Key FactsAfD Proposes Severe Church Funding Cuts in Saxony-Anhalt
Jan 30, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- AfD plans to eliminate all state payments and church tax collection for Catholic and Protestant churches if it governs.
- The party accuses major churches of promoting 'rainbow ideology' while favoring conservative free churches.
- Church leaders warn that losing up to 20% of their budget from state funds would endanger services within a year.
- The political education center and public broadcasters are also targeted for closure or restructuring by AfD.
If a new state government stops paying state benefits and church tax also ceases, we would be bankrupt in less than a year.— Karsten Wolkenhauer, President of the Evangelical Church in Anhalt, in the Tagesspiegel.
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