Germany's Catholic bishops on Thursday urged the faithful to oppose rising far-right nationalism, calling such politics opposed to the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. "Völkisch nationalism is incompatible with the Christian image of God and man," reads a joint declaration presented by Bishop Georg Bätzing as head of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) in Augsburg on Thursday. The statement comes amid widespread concern in Germany that far-right political forces, especially the Alternative
The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, has criticized Pope Francis' stance on the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza as not being clear enough. "Yes, I too am sometimes puzzled by this art of equidistance," Bätzing told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. Although Bätzing said that he is aware the Vatican is keen to keep all channels of dialogue open, there are situations in which such restraint is not appropriate, the Catholic bishop said. "When I think of Ukraine and [th