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It was already clear to many that church services at Christmas would only be held with restrictions. But NRW Prime Minister Laschet is now wondering if Christmas Masses can still take place as planned.
“In the coming days, in view of the current situation, I will have one more talk with the churches,” announced the CDU politician in the “Tagesspiegel am Sonntag”.
The infection figures are worrying
The Evangelical Church of Westphalia has already said it will also cancel services, Laschet reported. “Religious communities take the situation very seriously. They also know that this is the feast of life and charity, and that you have to weigh carefully.
The corona infection figures suggested “we have to be more careful than we thought two weeks ago,” Laschet said. At the same time, the freedom to practice one’s religion is an important basic right of the constitution. “That is why in North Rhine-Westphalia we said in March that we would not close churches and synagogues as a state, but rather rely on the voluntary nature of churches and religious communities.”
Rejection of early flexibilization
Laschet also made clear that he does not expect the lockdown to end on January 10. “At the moment there is not the slightest possibility to talk about it,” he said when asked about the vacancies. “The key question after the holidays will be: What will happen to the schools and nurseries? It will be a long time before we celebrate the holidays again.”
In view of the dramatic infection situation, especially in East Germany, Laschet sees a connection to non-compliance with the rules of protection against the coronavirus, which the AfD particularly encourages: “In circles where the AfD is strong and the virus is minimized, infections seem particularly high to give. “
Scientists cautioned against jumping to conclusions, stressed the CDU politician. But: “He who refuses to put on a mask and keep his distance endangers himself and others. A responsible policy for our country cannot be expected from a party that promotes this.”
