Summary
On February 22, 2024, German Catholic bishops released a statement declaring that racial nationalism was incompatible with Christianity. The same day, Christoph Schaufert, a 55-year-old AfD politician who had represented the party in Saarland state parliament since 2022, was removed from his position on the parish administrative council of St. Marien church in Neunkirchen by vicar general Ulrich von Plettenberg of Trier diocese. Schaufert joined the AfD in 2016 after decades as a member of the CDU and then without a party affiliation. On April 15, 2024, von Plettenberg wrote to Schaufert informing him that he was immediately dismissed from his voluntary position on the parish administrative council due to his political affiliation with AfD. The Trier diocese consulted widely within its ranks before reaching this decision in line with the bishops’ declaration.
Key Topics
Vatican City, AfD, Neunkirchen
