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The cross is not a sign of opposition to other human beings and should not be used to create tension or trouble, says Cardinal Reinhard Marx
By Anne-Bénédicte Hoffner | Germany
The announcement of the Minister President of Bavaria that crosses are to be displayed at the entrances of public buildings is causing upheaval in an already tense electoral context.
"First win for Markus Söder" was the May 2 headline in the regional Bavarian newspaper, Mittelbayerische.
"A poll shows that many Bavarians are pleased that crosses will be displayed. However, this will not be enough to gain a majority."
In a few words, the paper summarizes the political implications of an announcement that is causing upheaval. On April 24, the Minister President of Bavaria, Markus Söder, mandated that a crucifix should be displayed at the entrance of every public building in the state from 1 June.
This move is not meant to promote "a religious symbol" but rather to "acknowledge an identity" and to be "the expression of a cultural and historical imprint," said Söder, a member of the CSU (Christian Social Union), the Bavarian branch of Angela Merkel's CDU (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) party.
Different reactions followed this announcement, sometimes in support of the decision but more often in opposition to its motivations and legality, as well as the possible impacts on social cohesion.
The electoral preoccupations of Markus Söder are clearly evident. His party, the CSU, which has been in power in Bavaria for decades, is preparing for a delicate regional election in October in the face of the extreme right – represented by the AfD (Alternative for Germany) – that is thriving after the disaster of the last federal elections.
According to polls, more supporters of the AfD (77 percent) than supporters of the CSU (71 percent) are in favor of the proposed installation of crosses.
With regard to the legal aspects of this issue – as with the case of the return of crosses to Bavarian classrooms in 1995 – numerous constitutional experts are questioning Söder's mandate with regard to Basic German Law.
Religious and philosophical neutrality is not explicitly inscribed in this Law. However, it features in the jurisprudence of the constitutional High Court, where it is derived from the mention of "the state as the homeland of all citizens."
There is also debate about the significance of the cross and about its meaning being decided by an elected politician. Whether Catholic or Protestant, the laity were the first to react.
In an interview with the Mitteldeutschen Zeitung, the co-president of the group Alliance 90/The Greens in the Bundestag and former president of the Evangelical Church Synod in Germany (EKD), Katrin Göring-Eckardt sharply pointed out that "the cross is not a wall decoration."
The leaders of two youth groups, the Federation of Bavarian German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) and of the Evangelical Youth of Bavaria (EJB), together wrote a letter to the State authorities, in which they stated: "as young Christians, we are personally shocked and concerned."
"The primary symbol of Christianity is being used and abused as a symbol of exclusion."
Even more cutting was an editorial published on katholisch.de, the website of the Conference of German Bishops. Entitled "The cross does not belong to the CSU," it denounced the decision as a "blasphemous desecration."
The editorial also commented ironically on the versatility of the Minister President of Bavaria, who wants to display crosses on public buildings but who "refuses to allow churches to publicly take a position in the debate on migrants."
In the face of the controversy, the German bishops have also had their say, beginning with Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the President of the German Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Munich, who is based in the capital of Bavaria.
In an interview with the regional daily, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Archbishop Marx — a close friend of Pope Francis — pointed out that the cross is "a sign of opposition to violence, injustice, sin and death, but is not a sign of opposition to other human beings," and that it must not in any way be used to create "tension, trouble or division."
On a Catholic radio station, his colleague, Archbishop Ludwig Schick of Bamberg (who is based in northern Bavaria), added: "The cross is not a sign of identity of any country or state."
A rare disagreement came from Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, who said that he would be glad when "the cross is visible in public institutions."
"Historically and factually, the Christian faith resides in the foundations of Bavaria, Germany and Europe," he added.
On May 2, during the inauguration of new buildings of a seminary in Munich, Cardinal Marx modified, or made more precise, his thoughts. A cross in a public building should be the sign of a "society that gathers and integrates, and that is regaining confidence in itself," he said.
"When the church or even the state invites us to recall these fundamental values, it is a marvelous opportunity for us to re-appropriate the Christian vision of mankind."
This is an invitation that is addressed to "believers and non-believers, to those who are seeking and to those who are questioning."
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