Preaching at the opening Mass of the bishops’ plenary in Fulda on 23-25 September, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg said the Church needed allies to develop the seed of God’s kingdom amid the turmoil of war, migration, climate emergency and artificial intelligence.
During their meeting, the bishops warned that the agitation and division of US politics must not be allowed into Germany, with churches and political parties responsible for maintaining a block against the far-right Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) and not cooperating with it.
“As church we are not partial but stand above the parties. But when it comes to a largely right-wing group, we have to speak out,” Bätzing said after the conclusion of the plenary.
He said it was important to explain that the AfD was “nationalist, anti-European and anti-democratic” because it has a strong chance of victory in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and voters “have to be aware what kind of a future they are voting for there”.
Bätzing was responding to Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, the deputy leader of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, who had accused him of “vilifying” its voters.
“Anyone who criticises the clear distinction between truth and error, light and darkness, guidance and misguidance as division is not an apostle of Jesus Christ, but is sent by the devil,” said Tillschneider.
The bishops also issued a declaration regarding the war in the Holy Land, demadning “Peace for Israel and Palestine!”
“We agree that Catholic bishops from Germany share in the heritage of our people, which mandates us with a special responsibility toward the Jewish people and also a solidarity with Israel,” they said.
“At the same time, in our assessments we cannot make compromises on the universal principles that are meant to guide the community of nations and are also described and justified in Catholic peace ethics.”
In further comments after the plenary, Bätzing confirmed that the document “Blessing gives strength to life”, offering pastoral guidance for the blessing of couples in same-sex relationships, would not be withdrawn as some critics had demanded.
He said it was a pastoral expression of the declaration Fiducia supplicans, developed in consultation with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and said that Italian reports that the document amounted to “episcopal disobedience” were absurd.