Ex-Catholic has no right to keep his Church job, German court rules
By Tom Heneghan
April 26, 2013
Germanys top labor court ruled on Thursday the countrys Catholic charity network had the right to fire an employee who quit the Church in protest against the sexual abuse crisis and disputed decisions by ex-Pope Benedict.
The 60-year-old teacher, challenging his 2011 dismissal, had claimed his constitutional right to freedom of opinion trumped the Churchs right to employ only Catholics who agreed with the religious mission of their jobs.
He said that his work at Caritas Germany tutoring grade-school children did not deal with religion and that pupils of all faiths were welcome there.
The decision was a victory for the mainline Protestant and Catholic churches, which together are Germanys largest employer after the public sector, against some lay employees and unions challenging the churches special status in German labor law.
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2013/04/26/ex-catholic-has-no-right-to-keep-his-church-job-german-court-rules/