Bavaria announces ecumenical religious instruction in schools (Bavarian State Ministry of Education (German))

The Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs has announced the provision for ecumenical Lutheran-Catholic religious instruction in Bavarian schools when “there are too few pupils available for the establishment of a denominational learning group of the respective minority denomination.”

The new arrangement “can now permanently complement classic religious education [i.e., either Catholic or Lutheran instruction] and ensure that children can continue to encounter the basics of the Christian faith throughout Bavaria,” said Matthias Belafi, who represented local bishops in negotiations with the Bavarian government and the Lutheran church.