Icon: enlarge
Christmas party at home - no longer in a large family circle?
Photo: Niedring / Drentwett / Getty Images / MITO images
SPIEGEL:
The fight against Corona will continue in December.
Shouldn't the state at least lift restrictions at Christmas and let Christians celebrate?
Hans Michael Heinig:
No, the festive culture of Christmas, as important as it is for Christians and non-Christians in this country, has little impact on the question of how far the state can go with restrictions.
To person
Icon: enlargePhoto: Daniel Moeller Photography
Hans Michael Heinig, born in 1971, is a constitutional law teacher in Göttingen and head of the Canon Law Institute of the Evangelical Church in Germany.
SPIEGEL:
Why?
Isn't Christmas protected by the religious freedom of the Basic Law?
Heinig:
Yes, of course.
The state cannot ban Christmas per se.
Christians are allowed to celebrate the birth of Jesus - but not necessarily in full churches or in large families.
SPIEGEL:
The state could even ban Christmas services?
Heinig:
We already decided that at Easter, there was also a ban on worship.
Or better: there could be church services, but without visitors, for example for broadcasting on the Internet.
Icon: enlarge
Divine service via livestream (on April 12th from the Saint Sebastian Cathedral in Magedburg): "We have already done this at Easter"
Photo: Ronny Hartmann / dpa
"Interferences with religious freedom are possible"
SPIEGEL:
Freedom of religion is a particularly strong basic right.
It applies "without reservation", as the lawyers say, because it is not subject to legal reservation, like most other basic rights.
Then what are such restrictions based on?
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an app, e-paper and on the e-reader
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
Exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Try one month for free
Cancel anytime online
A price
only € 19.99 per month
One month for € 0.00
Try now for 0.00 € Buy nowArrow to the right
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.