German Evangelical Church donates €100,000 to migrants for residency claims

Bishop Christian Stäblein. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

On December 3, 2025, it became known that the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) will allocate €100,000 from parishioner donations to support legal claims filed by Afghan migrants seeking residence permits, the European Conservative reports.

The decision provoked strong indignation among parishioners, who consider it unacceptable to use their donations to finance migrants’ legal actions. Church members emphasize that the funds were intended for church needs, assistance to the poor, and social work – not for providing legal aid to foreign nationals.

Bishop Christian Stäblein, responsible for refugee affairs, stated that the Church is obligated to help asylum seekers: “The Protestant Church,” he said, “will not abandon asylum seekers and their families.”

The funds will be directed to the Kabul Airlift organization, established to evacuate Afghans genuinely threatened by Taliban persecution – translators, journalists, human rights defenders, and staff who cooperated with Germany.

However, critics point out that some of those arriving on the most recent flights do not belong to these high-risk categories. Many therefore question whether the true purpose of the fundraising was honestly communicated to church members. German lawyer Tore Jensen even suggested that the collection of donations appears questionable if its intended use was not announced in advance.

According to authorities, about 2,000 more Afghans are awaiting resettlement in Germany – something observers believe will further fuel discontent both among believers and local residents.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a draft law to simplify the employment of migrants was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

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