Overview

• At the bishops’ autumn assembly in Fulda, Georg Bätzing condemned Israel’s conduct in Gaza as inhumane, citing mass civilian deaths, hunger and large-scale displacement.
• He assigned responsibility for the war’s outbreak to Hamas’s October 7 attack and stressed that hostages remain in captivity.
• Bätzing said the bishops’ conference stands with Israel institutionally while personally criticizing the Israeli government’s tactics.
• He urged a halt to fighting, demanded the immediate release of all hostages, and called the two-state formula the only viable political path.
• Warning of rising antisemitism in Germany, he voiced support for Jewish life and separately cautioned voters against backing the AfD, which he labeled divisive and incompatible with Christian values.