With the Catholic Church in Germany facing a series of crises, bishops are trying to increase their brand appeal by joining the anti-AfD bandwagon.
The Catholic Church in Germany has been facing a series of crises in recent years, including a shortage of priests and an ongoing sexual abuse scandal, but the German Church is choosing to focus on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, especially if members of the AfD happen to be participating in Catholic life.
The chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), Georg Bätzing, who also serves as bishop of Limburg, said that membership in the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is not compatible with volunteer work or holding office in the Catholic Church.
He said that the Church should focus on supporting freedom, and democracy, and on maintaining an openness to foreigners.
Bätzing also said he backed the protests against the AfD and called on German bishops to send a “unanimous signal against extremism” at the upcoming DBK conference in Augsburg, where the future of democracy and the Catholic Church will be discussed among bishops.
“Unfortunately, the danger of ethnic-nationalist and right-wing extremist thinking also exists among Catholics,” he said.