Germany. The diocese of Berlin on the point of going into liquidation

The diocese of Berlin seems not to have profited from the advantages of German reunification. In fact, instead of unifying the institutions and structures of the diocese, it was decided that the existing structures would be maintained, at the risk of having costly duplications. The effects of such a policy are being felt today: the deficit of 200 million euros is comparable to the budget of the Church in France, even though the diocese of Berlin only has 383,000 Catholics and 307 priests.

In an obligatory move of solidarity, the German dioceses have been asked to fly to the rescue of the Berlin diocese, which would permit a repayment of the debt five years from now. It goes without saying that fixing this problem involves quite a drastic financial policy, notably the elimination of 400 jobs of the 2700 currently existing (the German dioceses maintain numerous social services: hospitals, day-care centers, etc.).