Germany’s highest-ranking cardinal has warned against indifference and uncritical tolerance which he says could lead to Islam enjoying equal standing with Christianity in the country. Cardinal Karl Lehmann, who is head of the German conference of bishops, expressed concern about religious freedom leading to all faiths being treated equally regardless of the size of their flock and their history. Germany’s constitution obliges the state to maintain strict religious neutrality. But Lehmann pointed to Christianity’s role in shaping European history and even its legal culture.
