CVP-chief: churches should stay out of the politics of the day out

irritation gave rise to the theologian Béatrice Acklin Zimmermann and CVP-President Gerhard Pfister have recently founded with like-minded think-tank "Church policy". You will encounter opinions and vote slogans of Church people. Bishop Felix Gmür about advertised with the theological reasons for the energy strategy. Grossmünster Church pastor Christoph Sigrist distributed with other parish priests, sometimes in the cassock, at the Zurich main station Flyer against the enforcement initiative. The Zurich vicar General Josef Annen saw in the social detectives "a burden for the social cohesion in the society". And the Zurich Synod President Franziska Driessen warned, the SVP is for Christians unelectable.

a Church representative SVP national councillor Natalie Rickli because of your Yes to No Billag even the Catholic be denied, for Pfister, "a deep relapse into the middle ages" and for Acklin "political and religious populism". The theologian, who sits for the liberals in the Freiburg city Council is surprised that the Church people derived their authority in political questions of a higher Power. It was self-righteous, to insinuieren from the moral high seat down, you know what is right and what is wrong. "Are those," asks Acklin, "the position of the political spectrum differently than their spiritual authorities, the worse Christians?" In addition, Church people know the dossier, bad and spread all over, in the political day to day business compromises.

"As a social worker"

Also, for Pfister, it is clear that you can not derive from the gospel, whether it is necessary to lift or reduce taxes. He thinks it's simply illegitimate to make with biblical standards policy. It doesn't bother you, that the churches to say something. Only you would be well advised, what they mostly. Also you don't be aware that you will have political Manifestations no other Status than a party: "you are then a voice like any other – no better."

But they keep their voice, often for the better. The reason for this is that the churches argue mostly ethos ethical, and no balancing of interests. So, they argue decidedly for a "welcome culture" and against the Revision of the asylum law with faster procedures. According to Acklin you fail to take into account the consequences for the common good, as the demands of the Catholic social doctrine.

For Pfister, it is the task of the churches, to standards. You need to remind it of how Pope Francis compassion, human dignity and protection of life. It belong to the core competence of the churches, the protection of unborn life. Only they are not found often in the empirical question of when human life begins. Similarly, you empower her with the necessary appeal to the humanity in Asylum is not the political recommendations in the field of migration policy.

in addition to this competence problem Pfister complained of a credibility problem of the churches: "you develop a peculiar Aversion to represent your USP. You want to be like all the others, such as social workers, for example, and are therefore, dispensable." Instead of the gospel to be interpreted, "talk to you dear over what was on the news yesterday. But I can read in the newspaper."

The Synod President, in answer to Driessen, the Church must be particular not to and every Express. However, it is your duty to share, "when it comes to humanity and social responsibility". You yourself stand by your statement, that SVP is for Christians not selectable. Because they could not bring the asylum - and refugee policy of SVP with their understanding of the gospel.

topics

introduce According to Acklin, the churches have fixed themselves for long enough to bioethical issues. What you alleged entered, to Express an opinion only when it comes to abortion or homosexuality. They wish, therefore, that the churches bring wide and with your own topics, instead of only the amplifier role.

With such questions is to employ the think-tank "Church policy". Once a year he wants to discuss at a public meeting value-concepts such as responsibility and freedom, and questions of human dignity.

theologians of various denominations are Represented in the think tank – in addition to Acklin, the Engelberger Old Abbot Berchtold Müller, the reformed theology Professor Ralph Kunz, and of the Glarus Council of churches President Ulrich knoepfel – and, in addition, Federal parliamentarian Eric Nussbaumer (SP), Claudio Zanetti (SVP) and Maja Ingold (EVP). All of them are practicing Christians. For Nussbaumer about the churches can be, as an Institution, with its ethical and theological arguments in political questions. The ethical justification would be lost.

code of ethics instead of morality

It was not, therefore, Acklin, to sterilize the churches politically. But a question of how to bring in should. Instead of a political position, your ethical Knowledge, and contributions to the formation of opinion were asked, short on ethics instead of morals. Specifically, the Pfister does not mean that you have a theme, such as shop opening hours Yes or a no present, but an ethically clean balancing of interests, to the interest-controlled politicians are not capable of.

But how independent of the CVP President is himself? Do not help him, the bishops, he meets annually to fill the C? To have "by the bishops' expectations for the policy, it would be very dangerous. If we don't separate Religion and politics, we approach the theocracy à la Iran." It would be Pfister from the bishops never for a ' no ' to marriage for all. Although he personally holds to the traditional concept of marriage, he does not want to rate "as a Christian and the other as non-Christian". Pfister is not the bishops grateful for your Position, it looks but as a task of the CVP, this in the policy.

dissent is welcome in the think tank. Ethics provides the framework that allows for different views of the world. It is precisely because churches, unlike a party, people of different political orientation belong to, you could act according to Acklin, the hardening of the political fronts.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 06.01.2019, 19:28 PM