The Evangelical Church, which accounts for half of the German Christian faithful, intends to expel from its charitable organizations any declared militant of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). “Whoever votes for the AfD out of conviction cannot work in the Diakonie,” said the president of the confederation of Protestant charitable associations, Rüdiger Schuch, on Tuesday.
“These people can no longer count themselves as part of the (Protestant) church, because the far-right’s misanthropic worldview contradicts the Christian view of humanity,” Schuch said. The various charitable associations of Diakonie Deutschland have almost 630,000 employees and the help of around 700,000 volunteers.
All organizations under the Diakonie umbrella have a clear declaration of principles, the president of the confederation stressed in statements to the Funke media group, for whom “if employees or managers violate the Christian concept of humanity – with words or deeds -, “We must intervene.” Even more so if the person “is also politically involved with the extreme right,” Schuch stated flatly.
The first step should be to talk to the employee in question and make it clear that there is no place for misanthropic statements in diaconal organizations. “But if that doesn’t change anything, there must be consequences under labor law,” Schuch said. And he added: “Whoever supports the AfD must leave.”
With more than 33,000 care offers, Diakonie Deutschland is one of the largest institutions in Germany dedicated to the care and attention of the elderly, the chronically ill and other people in need. More than 627,000 people work full-time for the social care charity.
“Enemies of democracy”
Schuch also called on German employers to encourage their employees to vote: “they should also make it clear that it is important not to reinforce the enemies of democracy with their votes.” Democracy should not be taken as a given, Schuch stressed, adding that “all companies in Germany should therefore review their position and ask themselves whether they are doing enough to maintain an open society.”
The German Catholic Church had issued a similar statement two months ago. At the end of February, Catholic bishops unanimously adopted a declaration titled “Ultranationalist nationalism and Christianity are incompatible.” In it, they explicitly distance themselves from the AfD and describe that political formation as ineligible for Christians.
In mid-April, the Catholic diocese of Trier removed an AfD politician from the board of directors of the parish of Sankt Marien Neunkirchen. The AfD politician filed an appeal with the bishop pending a response.
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