Regional church
A country church is according to current understanding a territorially delimited usually consortium of national ecclesial communities, moreover, usually a public corporation forms. In Liechtenstein, the term national church is synonymous with state church .
Regional church in the Middle Ages
In relation to the pre-Reformation period, the concept of the regional church is understood to mean the church organization of a certain territory, which was usually subordinate to a higher authority (the pope or a patriarch ), but had a higher degree of independence, especially with regard to its internal structure and itself Relation to the respective secular ruler concerned. The existence of its own regional church played a major role in the delimitation of early medieval empires in particular from other territories.
Regional churches in Germany
Emergence
In Germany , the term arose from an emergency situation in today's understanding: unlike in Scandinavia and England, the great majority of the German bishops did not go over to the Reformation , so that it was not possible to continue the traditional diocesan system under the sign of the new creed allow. Therefore, Martin Luther demanded that the secular rulers should temporarily exercise the episcopal function in their territories . This rule, which the territorial princes or municipal magistrates usually exercised through the authorities ( consistories ) appointed for this purpose and through superintendents or general superintendents, was later called the sovereign church regiment.
From the Augsburg religious peace of 1555 the principle cuius regio, eius religio (whose area, whose religion) arose . Afterwards, the sovereign determined which denomination his subjects had to belong to. This promoted the formation of closed, separate regional churches. However, the principle was soon softened in the practice of religious policy in the Holy Roman Empire with and after the Thirty Years' War .
Until the abolition of the monarchy in Germany in 1918, the sovereign rulers were regional bishops in the administrative area, and the ties between church and state were particularly close. This has also been the case with rulers of other denominations since the 18th century. The (Roman Catholic) King of Bavaria was also the supreme bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria . In practice, however, the sovereigns exercised authority over internal church affairs ( ius circa sacra ) only indirectly.
Situation today
The current borders of the 20 Protestant regional churches in Germany are largely identical to those of the federal states (in Prussia: the provinces) in the German Empire, as it existed until 1918. For example, the area of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland includes that of the former Old Prussian Church Province of Rhineland , which in terms of territory essentially corresponded to the Prussian Rhine Province , whose area is now divided into four federal states. The area of the regional church remained almost unchanged. The Evangelical Reformed Church (Landeskirche) was created through the merger of the Evangelical Reformed Church in Northwest Germany , which essentially goes back to the Evangelical Reformed Regional Church of the Province of Hanover , and the Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria . Because its congregations are located in the areas of the Hanoverian and Bavarian regional churches and Reformed congregations from other federal states also joined it, it is the only regional church of the EKD that does not have its own territory.
There were major changes in the time of National Socialism in the area of today's Hesse , where in 1934 the two regional churches of Hessen-Kassel and Waldeck became the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck and in 1933 the three regional churches of Frankfurt am Main , Hesse and Nassau became the Evangelical Church Nassau-Hessen (today Evangelical Church in Hessen and Nassau ) merged.
Changes in the post-war period concerned the countries Hamburg , Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , where in 1977 the four existing regional churches of Schleswig-Holstein , Eutin , Hamburg and Luebeck with the church district Harburg the Hanover church of North Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church meeting that again in 2012 merged with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg and the Pomeranian Evangelical Church to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany . The Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg and the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia merged to form the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia in 2004 , as did the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia and the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony to form the Evangelical Church in Central Germany in 2009 .
Overview
Affiliated as an associated member of the EKD:
Until 2003 the Evangelical Church of the Union was also a member of the EKD. This merged in 2003 in the Union of Evangelical Churches .
Offices and institutions
All Protestant regional churches are organized as a corporation under public law . The following typical offices and institutions exist in every regional church:
- The leading clergyman is called the regional bishop , bishop , church president, president , regional superintendent or secretary .
- The synod is the body responsible for legislation and regulation within the church's right to self-determination .
- Between the meetings of the synod, a collegial body acts as a governing body, which in most regional churches is called "church leadership", in some also "regional church council" or "church government".
- The highest administrative authority of the church is called Landeskirchenrat, Oberkirchenrat , Landeskirchenamt or Konsistorium .
The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), founded in 1946 and headquartered in Hanover, performs joint tasks for all 20 regional churches .
Administrative hierarchy
The administrative structure differs from regional church to regional church. Different terms are often used for the same administrative instance. To avoid confusion, the following table is intended to give an overview of the names of the administrative levels in the regional churches of the EKD. In addition, the designation of the personal management is given in brackets, since the same designation often means different things here in the regional churches. Any committees of the administrative level are indicated in italics.
| Regional church | Lowest instance | Lower instance | Medium instance | Upper instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Evang. State Church of Anhalt |
Parish Parish Church Council |
Church district (district priest) District synod |
Regional Church (Church President) Regional Synod |
|
|
Evang. Regional church in Baden |
Parish Parish Council |
Ecclesiastical district, also deanery (dean) district synod |
Church district, also prelature (prelate) |
Regional Church ( Regional Bishop) Regional Synod |
|
Evangelical Luth. Church in Bavaria |
Parish church council |
Dean's Office (Dean) Synod of the Dean's Office |
Church district (regional bishop) |
Regional Church ( Regional Bishop) Regional Synod |
|
Evang. Church in Berlin- Brandenburg- Silesian Upper Lusatia |
Parish church council |
Church District (Superintendent) District Synod |
Sprengel (general superintendent = regional bishop) |
Regional Church (Bishop) Regional Synod |
|
Evangelical Luth. Regional church in Braunschweig |
Parish church council |
Propstei (Propst) Propsteisynod |
Regional Church ( Regional Bishop) Regional Synod |
|
|
Bremen Evangelical Church |
Parish |
Landeskirche (President of the Church Committee) Kirchentag |
||
|
Evangelical Luth. Regional Church of Hanover |
Parish church council |
Church District (Superintendent) Church District Day |
Sprengel (Landessuperintendent) Ephorenkonferenz |
Landeskirche (Bishop) Church Senate , Landessynode |
|
Evang. Church in Hesse and Nassau |
Parish church council |
Dean's Office (Dean) Synod of the Dean's Office |
Propstei (Provost) |
Regional Church (Church President) Regional Synod |
|
Evang. Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck |
Parish church council |
Church District (Dean) District Synod |
Sprengel (Provost) |
Regional Church (Bishop) Regional Synod |
| Lippe regional church | Parish church council |
Class, also district (superintendent) class day |
Regional Church (Landessuperintendent) Regional Synod |
|
| Evangelical Church in Central Germany | Parish | Church district | Provostspengel | Regional Church (Bishop) Regional Synod |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany | Parish | Church district | Sprengel | Regional Church ( Regional Bishop) Synod |
|
Evangelical Luth. Church in Oldenburg |
Parish Parish Church Council |
Church district (district pastor) District synod |
Regional Church (Bishop) Synod |
|
| Evang. Church of the Palatinate | Parish presbytery |
Ecclesiastical district, also deanery (dean) district synod |
Regional Church (Church President) Regional Synod |
|
|
Evangelical Reformed Church |
Parish church council or presbytery |
Synodal Association (President of the Moderamens) Synodal Association Synod |
Regional Church (Church President) General Synod |
|
|
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland |
Parish presbytery |
Church District (Superintendent) District Synod |
Regional Church (Preses) Regional Synod |
|
|
Evangelical Luth. Regional Church of Saxony |
Parish Church council |
Church District, also Ephorie (Superintendent) Church District Synod |
Church Office Council area (Church Office Council) |
Regional Church ( Regional Bishop) Regional Synod |
|
Evangelical Luth. State Church of Schaumburg-Lippe |
Parish Parish Church Council |
Church District (Superintendent) |
Regional Church ( Regional Bishop) Regional Synod |
|
|
Evangelical Church of Westphalia |
Parish presbytery |
Church District (Superintendent) District Synod |
Regional Church (Preses) Regional Synod |
|
|
Evang. Regional Church in Württemberg |
Parish Parish Council |
Church District (Dean) District Synod |
Prelature, also Sprengel (prelate) |
Regional Church ( Regional Bishop) Regional Synod |
In general administration, the lowest instance is comparable with the political municipality, the lower instance with the district, the middle instance with the administrative district and the upper instance with the federal state.
Regional churches in Switzerland
Types
In Switzerland , the relationship between church and state is regulated by cantonal laws. With the exception of the cantons of Geneva and Neuchâtel , all cantons have recognized religious communities under public law. This includes the Evangelical Reformed and Roman Catholic Churches in all cantons , and also Jewish communities in some cantons ( Basel-Stadt , Bern , Freiburg , St. Gallen , Vaud and Zurich ) and the Christian Catholic Church . These three churches, especially the reformed one, are called state or canton churches.
For historical reasons, there are essentially five forms of public law recognition:
- The historically reformed cantons ( Basel-Stadt , Basel-Landschaft , Bern , Vaud , Zurich , Schaffhausen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden ) know Reformed regional churches with a synodal constitution, which were closely related to the respective canton until the 20th century; today, however, they are largely autonomous. The Protestant Reformed Church is recognized in the cantons of Obwalden and Ticino, but there is no Evangelical Reformed cantonal church. For practical reasons, the Reformed parish of Appenzell Innerrhoden is part of the Appenzell-Extra-Rhodian regional church, the Reformed parishes of the canton of Jura and the Solothurn-Lebern and Bucheggberg-Wasseramt part of the Bernese regional church for historical reasons. In the canton of Zurich (1963) and in other of the cantons mentioned, the current reformed church constitution was largely transferred to the Catholic Church ("Roman Catholic corporation").
- The historically Catholic cantons ( Lucerne , Zug , Nidwalden , Obwalden , Schwyz , Uri , Ticino , Wallis , Freiburg , Solothurn , Jura and Appenzell Innerrhoden ) grant the churches the greatest possible autonomy. In some cases, cantonal church structures have only emerged in the recent and recent past; they are still missing in Appenzell Innerrhoden and in Valais.
- In the cantons with parity of denominations ( Aargau , Glarus , Graubünden , St. Gallen and Thurgau ) both large churches have analogous regulations. As in the historically reformed cantons, they have synodal constitutions, which they - in some cases since time immemorial - have enacted on their own authority.
- In the (historically reformed) cantons of Neuchâtel and Geneva , the churches are not recognized under public law, but they are “organizations of public interest”.
- More recently, non-Christian religions have also been officially “recognized” by the state, granting them certain, albeit less extensive, rights; In the terminology of the canton of Basel-Stadt, this is referred to as “minor recognition”. For example, in the cantons of Basel-Stadt (only one of three municipalities), Freiburg , St. Gallen and Zurich (only two of the four municipalities), the Israelite communities are on a par with the regional churches in individual areas, and in Basel-Stadt , Vaud and in Neuchâtel also enjoy some privileges for certain Muslim associations.
The cantonal legal regulation of the most fundamental features of the church constitution in force in the traditionally reformed and parity cantons thus guarantees democratic structures in the Catholic parishes that are unique in the world, but contradict Catholic church law.
Evangelical Reformed regional churches
In the cantons of Geneva and Neuchâtel, the churches are organized under private law.
Roman Catholic regional churches
in the cantons of Geneva and Neuchâtel the churches are organized under private law, and in Ticino and Valais there are only dioceses.
Regional Church in Liechtenstein
According to Article 37 II of the Constitution , the Roman Catholic Church in Liechtenstein is a regional church in the sense of a state church . However, the separation of church and state has been sought since 2011, but this has proven difficult due to the intertwined ownership structure. A commission is working out a compromise proposal to implement the separation. Since December 2, 1997, the area of the regional church corresponds to that of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vaduz . Until 1997 it corresponded to the area of the Deanery Liechtenstein in the Diocese of Chur .
See also
- Evangelical Church in Germany
- Evangelical Reformed Church Switzerland
- State Church Law
- Church and State
- State Church
- Separation between religion and state
literature
- Johannes Georg Fuchs: Swiss state church law of the 19th century as a result of Zwinglian state thought and as a typical creation of liberalism. In: Journal of the Savigny Foundation for Legal History. Canonical Department 70 (1984), pp. 271-300.
- Dieter Kraus: Swiss state church law. Main lines of the relationship between state and church at federal and cantonal level. Mohr, Tübingen 1993 (Jus Ecclesiasticum 45), ISBN 3-16-146069-3 .
- Christoph Winzeler: Regional churches. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
-
↑ Church districts or equivalent, the number of the following regional churches is listed:
- Church districts or church districts: Württemberg
- Church districts: Baden
- Dean's districts: Bavaria
- Dean's offices: Hessen and Nassau
- Propsties: Braunschweig , Mecklenburg
- Classes: lip
- Synodal associations: Protestant Reformed
- ↑ Two congregations, namely the Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich, conceived as a unified congregation, and the Jewish liberal congregation , wanted recognition, whereas the strictly orthodox congregations Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich and Agudas Achim spoke out against it in order to maintain the greatest possible independence.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from September 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Islam in search of recognition. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung from May 24, 2016.
- ^ Religion, Church - Principality of Liechtenstein. Retrieved December 3, 2017 .
- ↑ Adolescents aged 14 and older , Liechtensteiner Vaterland , December 20, 2012
- ↑ Address of Pope John Paul II in Eschen-Mauren on September 8, 1985, quoted on the website of the Holy See
Evangelical Church of Anhalt | Evangelical Church in Baden | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria | Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia | Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church in Braunschweig | Bremen Evangelical Church | Evangelical Reformed Church (Landeskirche) | Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Hanover | Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau | Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck | Regional Church of Lippe | Evangelical Church in Central Germany | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg | Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (Protestant State Church) | Evangelical Church in the Rhineland | Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony | Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church Schaumburg-Lippe | Evangelical Church of Westphalia | Evangelical Church in Württemberg
Aargau | Appenzell | Basel-Country | Basel-City | Bern-Jura-Solothurn | Freiburg | Église Protestante de Genève | Église Évangélique Libre de Genève | Glarus | Graubünden | Lucerne | Neuchâtel | Nidwalden | Obwalden | St. Gallen | Schaffhausen | Schwyz | Solothurn | Ticino | Thurgau | Uri | Vaud | Valais | Train | Zurich