Overview
- The Deutsche Bischofskonferenz issued the warning Thursday at its autumn plenary in Fulda, saying AfD access to governmental responsibility would represent a ‘paradigm shift’ that threatens core democratic and Christian values.
- Conference president Heiner Wilmer singled out concern that roughly 30 percent of Catholics in eastern Germany vote AfD and described parts of the party in Sachsen-Anhalt as assessed to be right-wing extremist, while offering full support to Magdeburg’s Bishop Gerhard Feige.
- The bishops said the church will continue to speak out when hate or institutional weakening increases and pledged public interventions to defend human dignity, the Jewish-Christian tradition and democratic culture.
- They combined that public stance with a pastoral strategy that stresses listening, dialogue and backing local church leaders who face pressure or attacks from AfD supporters.
- The statement builds on a 2024 bishops’ declaration that völkischer nationalism is incompatible with Christianity and warns that AfD influence in regional governments could affect funding for churches, welfare services and schools, increasing social strain in eastern states.