The President of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Bishop Kirsten Fehrs, the Chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Dr. Heiner Wilmer, and the chairman of the Association of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK), Reverend Christopher Easthill, as follows:
“We take note that the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt became by far the strongest party. Bad fears have come true, but the result is to be accepted. The concern of the churches is above all the coexistence and coexistence of the people of Saxony-Anhalt, as well as in particular the respect of the human dignity given by God, which is unconditionally due to everyone. However, it also applies to the liberal-democratic basic order in Saxony-Anhalt. We call on the winners of the election to fully respect the state constitution and the Basic Law and to preserve the dignity of all people regardless of origin, religion, way of life, performance or position.
As churches, we are committed to the message of the Gospel and the Christian image of man. Out of this commitment, we will closely monitor and critically accompany the political action of the future state government. We will not look away and we will not remain silent if the dignity of man is violated, our democracy is put at risk or the rule of law is undermined. Because it is always about people who are under pressure, threatened or marginalized. We will continue to support and contribute to the cohesion of society all that our democracy carries. This requires above all places of togetherness, dialogue and understanding. This is where the Democratic parties have a mandate. The churches can also be important meeting places.
An election result counts the votes of an election Sunday. In everyday life, what matters is what this country holds together week after week. The election result shows how great the discontent and the loss of confidence are. This is to be taken seriously. However, it remains unchanged how many hundreds of thousands of people in Saxony-Anhalt and nationwide take care of each other every day, take responsibility and bear our community. We want to keep your confidence, your willingness to help and their commitment visible and strengthen it. Together we will continue to work for a society that holds together – in responsibility before God and people.”