BERLIN (RNS) — Constitutional provisions that declare Sunday a day of rest mean German merchants will have to significantly rein in the number of days they are open for business, Germany’s highest court ruled Dec. 1.
The ruling was prompted by protests from Catholic and Protestant churches in Berlin over laws enacted in 2006 that gave German states greater freedoms in determining store opening hours.
In its ruling, the court noted that the guarantee of Sunday as a day of rest was not only based in Christian tradition, but also served a vital societal function by giving workers a day off and giving families more time together.