Katholische Kirche: Bischof Wilmer befürchtet antikirchliche Maßnahmen der AfD

Despite the recent success of the AfD in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, the Catholic Church maintains its opposition to the party. Heiner Wilmer, the leader of the German Bishops' Conference, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Berlin that "the AfD questions the fundamental values of our coexistence." The AfD seeks a different Germany in light of our fundamental values and democracy, he said, positioning itself firmly against it.

Wilmer believes it could be possible for the AfD to take concrete measures against the churches if it gains power in Saxony-Anhalt. "I am not naive," he said. The AfD aims to end church donation collection and also no longer tolerate church asylum, meaning protection for a person, for example, who is threatened with deportation, while temporarily residing in a church.

In Saxony-Anhalt, there are around 300,000 evangelical and Catholic Christians - 235,000 are evangelical, 66,000 Catholic. The bishops have not always been in agreement - but here they are. The German Bishops' Conference published the statement "Racial Nationalism and Christianity are incompatible" in 2024, which remains valid, Wilmer said.

Among the bishops, who otherwise do not always agree, there is complete unanimity. The statement was unanimously adopted two years ago by nearly 60 Catholic bishops in Germany. Wilmer emphasized that the Church must remain in dialogue with the people who vote for the AfD. "At the same time, we pledged loyalty to the Gospel and to the Christian-Jewish tradition," he said.

This has as a central element that all people have the same dignity, regardless of their origin, social class, health, age, religion. "This fundamental attitude is not negotiable for us," Wilmer stressed. "And we cannot limit ourselves to just our own group, nation or the like. As Christians, we have a clear mandate for the whole world.

We are a human family. We belong to each other." Wilmer suggested more interreligious dialogue formats to promote mutual understanding between religions. "This would also be important because antisemitism is on the rise in Germany, which I find heartbreaking. Antisemitism is a sin," he emphasized. The focus must be on the common responsibility for the country where we live together, he said.

Wilmer has been Bishop of Hildesheim since 2018 and was appointed as successor to Georg Bätzing as head of the German Bishops' Conference on February 24th of this year. He now leads the largest Catholic diocese in Germany.