Bishop Stephan Ackermann has confirmed the exclusion of an AfD politician from the administrative board of the Catholic parish in Trier.
Bishop Stephan Ackermann from the diocese of Trier has confirmed the dismissal of AfD politician Christoph Schaufert from the administrative board of the Catholic parish of St. Marien in Neunkirchen. As the “Saarbrücker Zeitung” reported, Schaufert’s membership in the AfD, which is sometimes classified as right-wing extremist, and his leading activities in the party were the reasons for this decision.
In April, the Trier Vicar General Ulrich Graf von Plettenberg, who had initiated the exclusion, declared: As “the face of a party that represents attitudes that contradict the Christian view of humanity,” Christoph Schaufert is damaging the credibility of the church and is therefore no longer acceptable, reports the “Saarbrücker Zeitung.”
Schaufert then filed a complaint against his exclusion from the board of directors. However, Bishop Ackermann now officially supports the decision of his vicar general, according to a press release from the diocese. Ackermann informed the AfD politician about his decision in a letter.
Bishop Ackermann has now supported Plettenberg’s decision and informed Schaufert in the letter that exercising representative political mandates for the AfD and exercising his elective office on the administrative board of a parish are not compatible. The exclusion is the first case of its kind nationwide.
Ackermann further describes that he reviewed the complaint based on Schaufert’s statements and on the basis of the German bishops’ declaration “Ethnic nationalism and Christianity are incompatible” in conjunction with the Church Asset Management Act of the Diocese of Trier.
According to the “Saarbrücker Zeitung”, the “massive loss of trust” in the municipality’s administrative board, which arose from Schaufert’s commitment to the AfD, also played a role in this decision.
“As a representative in various local councils and in the state parliament, where you also serve as deputy parliamentary group leader, you are more than just a simple member of the AfD. “They represent this party to the outside world and are therefore identified with the opinions of this party that are propagated to the public,” Ackermann further argued the decision.
In his decision, Ackermann also took into account the ruling of the Higher Administrative Court in Münster. The court had recently confirmed the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution’s classification of the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist case.
According to the “Saarbrücker Zeitung”, Schaufert can lodge a complaint against Ackermann’s decision with the responsible authority of the Roman Curia. “If I have to, I’ll go to Rome,” said the AfD politician.
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