The Bavarian government's mandate to require public buildings to display crosses at their entrances has been criticized by some Catholic bishops and Protestants.

The Minister President of Bavaria, Markus Soder, announced last week that all state buildings should display crosses at the entrance by June 1.

Soder explained that the mandate signifies a "commitment to Bavarian identity and culture" and "cultural imprint," rather than a promotion of Christianity.

"The cross is not a sign of religion. This is not a violation of the principle of neutrality," he said at the time, as reported by The Local.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, denounced the decision, saying that the cross should be "a sign of opposition to violence, injustice, sin and death, but not a sign [of exclusion] against other people."

He contended that it is not up to the government to explain the meaning of the cross and that the new regulation has only sparked "division, unrest and adversity," Crux reported.

The mandate was also opposed by some politicians, including Bavaria's state chair Sigi Hagl, who suggested that the government should "show mercy and charity in everyday political life" instead of requiring crosses to be displayed in public buildings.

An open letter by the Union of Young Catholics and the Evangelical Youth urged the government to abandon the mandate.

The two groups expressed concern that "the Christian symbol of the salvation of God for everyone is being used to draw limits and exclude people."

A survey published in German newspaper Bild Am Sonntag has found that 62 percent of Protestants and 48 percent of Catholics opposed the mandate.

Overall, 64 percent of the public were not in favor of hanging crosses in public buildings, Evangelical Focus reported. Only 34 percent of Protestants and 38 percent of Catholics supported the initiative.

One of the supporters of the new regulation was Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Bavaria's Regensburg diocese, who welcomed the mandate saying: "The cross is the epitome of Western culture. It is the expression of a culture of love, compassion and affirmation of life. It belongs to the foundations of Europe."

The new regulation only applies to the offices of the state of Bavaria and does not affect federal government or municipality offices, The Local reported.