Autonomy of Religious Organizations and the Prohibition of Discrimination in Employment in the EU – Katholische Schwangerschaftsberatung (C-258/24)

On 17 March 2026, the Court of Justice of the Europe­an Union, in its judgment in case C-258/24 Katholische Schwangerschaftsberatung, held that a religious organiza­tion may not terminate an employment relationship with an employee solely because they have left the Catholic Church, if at the same time it permits the employment of non-Catholics to perform identical duties. The judgment was delivered against the backdrop of a long-standing in­terpretative dispute between the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany concerning the balancing of conflicting con­stitutional values: on the one hand, employees’ right not to be discriminated against on the grounds of religion or belief, and on the other hand, the right of churches and religious organizations to self-determination, in particu­lar with regard to defining ethical principles and shaping employees’ duties of loyalty.

Bibliografia/References

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