How political should churches be?
In an interview at Easter, the President of the German Bundestag Julia Klöckner (CDU) criticised the churches for commenting too frequently on current issues. Instead of 'behaving like NGOs' they should concentrate on pastoral care, she said. In the wake of the death of Pope Francis, the international press asks whether and to what extent churches should take a political stance.
Remaining silent would contradict the Bible
For Der Tagesspiegel it's obvious that churches are also political institutions:
“'Seek the prosperity of the city' has always been the mission of churches. These are the words of a prophet, Jeremiah, in the Bible. And they are political, referring to the day as a whole, to each and every individual. Doesn't the Basic Law also stand by the values of the Christian West? If the churches speak out on environmental policy, it is in the spirit of the mission to preserve creation. If they speak out on migration, it is in the spirit of the Bible, a book full of tales of flight and expulsion. It would be unchristian not to remember this and act accordingly.”
The Christian view of humanity is political
Handelsblatt disagrees with Klöckner:
“The disappointment that the Bundestag president's words express has less to do with theology than with party politics. The fact that leading church representatives have recently criticised Friedrich Merz's migration policy seems to be difficult for the CDU/CSU to digest. Yet it is the task of a Christian political party in particular to face up to this criticism - instead of reacting with muted fantasies. After all, who if not the churches should speak out on issues of humanity, refugees and justice? ... Unlike political parties, they cannot simply adapt their principles when the wind changes. The Christian view of humanity is non-negotiable. It does not differentiate between first and second class refugees.”
More theological depth needed
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung weighs up the situation:
“The problem is not that the churches are speaking out on current political issues, but what they are saying - and what they remain silent about. And this is where one sees that they often issue shallow statements aimed at being in keeping with the times: political reflexes instead of theological depth. You can barely hear God's word. But that is exactly what is bitterly needed in the face of war, forced exodus and epidemics. Yet many clergy are voicing His word - in largely empty rooms, at home, in hospital, in prison or at the front. Quietly and without amplification. That is the Church. It must speak out. It will not survive as just another political lobby group, but only by focusing on its actual task.”
Francis buried his head in the sand
For Kauno diena, the pope was not political enough:
“Francis chose to be a mere disciple of Christ, and was unwilling to take on the role of one of the most influential men in the world. This conflict was reflected in his reassuring Urbi et Orbi Easter message at the beginning of the pandemic, and his neutral stance towards the Russian aggression. The Pope was unable to overcome his leftist tendencies, and did not initiate any of the reforms expected in the West. ... He leaves his successor a community marked by an increasingly clear rift between the modern world seeking other gods and the growing camp of devout Christians from Africa and Asia seeking refuge in traditional Catholicism.”
Going against the world was his job
La Stampa rejects accusations that the late pope was not in favour of the West:
“Was Francis, the pope of hardship, pain and suffering, an enemy of the free, rich and consumerist West? How strange this sticky shadow that Bergoglio carried around with him since the start of his pontificate, in a world that is sinking into a maelstrom of false and empty words. Many people accused him of being against it. As if it weren't the task of the Church to be against it, to be persistently and permanently against it; and not to kneel before the world. ... But the question is even more vehement: Where is the purportedly bright West?”
Build on Francis's good work
The new pope should also take a stand against nationalism and authoritarianism, The Guardian demands:
“Francis sometimes cut an isolated figure as he opposed a new authoritarian turn in the politics of the West. Deploring the rise of aggressive nationalisms and the erosion of democratic norms, he became a lonely but vital bulwark of resistance in the name of universal rights and values. Progressives inside and outside the Church must hope that, in an unstable and dangerously volatile era, that witness can be built upon by the next pontiff.”