Church leaders from across denominations in Germany have voiced deep concern following the victory of a far-right party in a state election. Source: The Tablet.
The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) won 43.8 per cent of the vote in regional elections in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, far ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union with 17.2 per cent.
In a joint statement, the Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg, the Evangelical Church of Central Germany and the Evangelical Church of Anhalt said: “The country is divided. We are concerned about social peace and the way people live alongside each other in our region.”
“Our concern is also about the consequences the AfD has warned will result for culture and education, the community and volunteer work, Diakonie [the major social welfare organisation of the Protestant church in Germany and Austria], Caritas and the churches, and for internal and external security,” it continued.
“As Churches, we have a long history of resilience; we have survived dictatorships and oppression, wars and crises, and we will continue to open our doors to all who seek protection and peace, healing and guidance in the presence of God.”
Magdeburg Bishop Gerhard Feige appealed to the AfD “to honour our country’s constitution without restriction and to protect the dignity of all people”, insisting that those who want to take on government responsibility must take on responsibility for all people in the country.
The joint statement, which included the president of the German bishops’ conference, Münster Bishop Heiner Wilmer, said the result “shows how great the dissatisfaction and loss of trust are”.
“This is to be taken seriously. What remains unchanged, however, is how many hundreds of thousands of people in Saxony-Anhalt and nationwide take care of each other day after day, take responsibility and carry our community,” the Church leaders wrote.
“We want to keep their confidence, their willingness to help and their commitment visible and strengthen them. Together we will continue to work for a society that sticks together – in responsibility before God and humanity.”
Saxony-Anhalt, in the former East Germany, is a small region with a population of 3 million. Although the AfD did not win an outright majority, the election marks the first time in the history of post-war Germany that a far-right party could form a government.
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German churches alarmed by far-right victory in regional election (By Natalie K. Watson, The Tablet)
