Bavaria is the federal state with the most church members in Germany. Slightly more than eight million people, i.e. around two thirds of Bavarians, are members of the Catholic or Protestant Church. This may seem like a lot in a nationwide comparison, but if you look back twenty years, it becomes clear how much the numbers have also declined in the Free State: In 2001, more than 82 percent of the population were members of a church. Almost 100,000 people left the churches in Bavaria in 2020 alone, and in 2019 it was even more – 110,000. A clear downward trend can therefore be seen.
But there is a certain time of year that reminds people of their Christian roots every year: the Christmas season. Said season has now started, and with it more people are coming to the places of worship. This is gratifying for pastors and pastors, because it is better to preach to full benches than to empty ones. From a pandemic point of view, however, this poses a challenge. The Bavarian seven-day incidence has now fallen back to below 600, but the capacity of free intensive care beds is still less than ten percent. A situation that meant that concerts and cultural events had to be restricted or canceled. Churches, on the other hand, are not affected, at least for religious events.
That was not always the case, at Christmas a year ago there was not only a night curfew, so that many Christmas masses had to be celebrated earlier than usual. In addition, there were strict hygiene concepts, there was no singing, masks had to be worn and mostly seats had to be reserved. The handshake to greet peace was abolished, as was holy water from the basin. Many church services no longer took place in person, but only in digital form. According to the current infection protection ordinance, this is not necessary.
Nevertheless, the Bamberg Cathedral closed its doors last week at least for tourists, which means: no more guided tours and visits. The Archdiocese of Bamberg announced that the cathedral could only be visited for religious reasons. “Especially in the contemplative Advent season and in these challenging pandemic times, the cathedral should be a place of worship and a place of prayer,” said Birgit Kastner, Head of the Department for Art and Culture. In the cathedral, visitors to church services are also required to wear an FFP2 mask and distance regulations.
The municipalities themselves decide on regulations
In general, churches in Bavaria can choose whether they organize religious events such as masses with or without a 3G rule. Without 3G, a distance of 1.5 meters must be maintained between those present from different households, with 3G people can sit next to each other. The decision lies with the church councils of the individual parishes.
In the Catholic district church of Rosenheim-Inn, for example, Pastor Andreas Zach has so far decided to forego G-regulations and to distance himself from them. Now, with the beginning of Advent and Christmas, he has implemented a 3-G plus rule (i.e. vaccinated, recovered or with a current PCR test) in order to cope with the increased rush. Up to now there was room for a little more than 100 people in his church, now up to 300 are allowed to come. The regulation is implemented by the community without much resistance, the only exception are a few vaccine opponents, but they could not be convinced at all, says Zach.
It is handled differently in the Evangelical Nuremberg Lorenzkirche, where no G-rules apply. The old Gothic building in the middle of the city center can be entered by everyone, all you have to do is keep a safe distance and wear a mask. “We want to create a place where people can just slip in,” says the pastor Claudia Voigt-Grabenstein. Every day at 5 p.m. there are short devotions, attended by 30 to 40 people. Voigt-Grabenstein fears that significantly fewer people would come with a G-regulation.
Even a few hundred meters down the street, in the Evangelical Church of St. Sebald, there are fears that access restrictions would keep people away. He wanted to forego a G rule for as long as possible, but a 3 G rule will probably be introduced on Christmas Eve, says the senior pastor Martin Brons. Although this step has not yet been decided, someone apparently got wind of it and wrote the pastor an angry letter that he was not a real Christian if he used 3G. Such a letter is unpleasant, says Brons, but in the end you don’t exclude anyone with 3G, so don’t worry.
Old church, new digitization
In addition to various G regulations, the churches have also had to deal with challenges of a digital nature since the beginning of the pandemic. In 2020, the highest Christian festival of Easter was not allowed to be celebrated in church services and last Christmas was also canceled in numerous churches. Instead, many churches have opted for digital formats and spread the gospel on YouTube, Zoom or in social media.
The church has made great strides in this area since 2020, says the social media representative of the Protestant regional church of Bavaria, Christoph Breit. The regional church tried to support the local congregations with appropriate training and technical support. The Lorenzkirche and St. Sebald, who have developed their own digital formats over the past two years, have also benefited from this.
With a view to December 24th, most of the faithful are currently hoping for Christmas to be celebrated together in the churches. But if digital worship services should become necessary due to the pandemic situation, the churches are basically prepared with the experience of recent years, says Breit. In the two Nuremberg churches, the Christmas services are also shown in a live stream. However, as Breit explains, he is worried about the strength and commitment that are necessary for such digital projects. “People get tired without being present,” he says. You can sense this tiredness in Pastor Zach from Rosenheim when he tells with resignation in his voice that digital formats are not possible due to technical and financial deficits in his church. How the church services are finally celebrated on Christmas Eve – whether in attendance, as a live stream or maybe not at all – once again depends on the further infection process.