GERMANY
euronews
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor
PARIS (Reuters) – Germany’s top labour court ruled on Thursday the country’s Catholic charity network had the right to fire an employee who quit the Church in protest against the sexual abuse crisis and disputed decisions by ex-Pope Benedict.
The 60-year-old teacher, challenging his 2011 dismissal, had claimed his constitutional right to freedom of opinion trumped the Church’s right to employ only Catholics who agreed with the religious mission of their jobs.
He said that his work at Caritas Germany tutoring grade-school children did not deal with religion and that pupils of all faiths were welcome there.
The decision was a victory for the mainline Protestant and Catholic churches, which together are Germany’s largest employer after the public sector, against some lay employees and unions challenging the churches’ special status in German labour law.
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