Symbol of Federal Minister Aigner’s disrespect

“Anyone who disregards the fundamental principle of the separation of state and religious affairs is violating an important achievement of the modern constitutional state.” Frieder Otto Wolf, President of the Humanist Association of Germany, pointed this out in Berlin on Monday. The reason for this is the continued refusal of the Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ilse Aigner, to take down a cross representing her religious beliefs in the ministry building despite complaints from visitors. Members of parliament from the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and DIE LINKE parties had criticized the installation and called for the cross to be removed. Ilse Aigner refused on the grounds that the hanging of the cross did not interfere with religious freedom. Wolf said that a federal minister, as an official of the government of our state, was not responsible for carrying out religious activities. Furthermore, there are also certain limits to the constitutionally protected freedom of religion in the Federal Republic of Germany. These could be found, for example, where state and religious matters are combined without reasonable grounds. “The symbolic appropriation of spaces by crucifixes or other signs of a religious or clearly ideological nature in ministries, courts, schools and authorities disregards the constitutional requirement of state neutrality. The hanging of crosses in these institutions is a symbol of disrespect for the principles in which enlightened and democratic state constitutions differ from pre-modern societies, as well as for the many people who do not adhere to a Christian faith.” The display of a cross is therefore always an affront to the demands of the approximately 30 million people without a Christian denomination in the Federal Republic of Germany that members of a government do not abuse their office to unilaterally promote their personal faith. “Above all, this stirs up mistrust, discord and hatred between people,” continued Frieder Otto Wolf. Neither non-denominational people, people of other faiths nor prudent Christians, for whom tolerance and social peace are important, could therefore have any interest in hanging up crosses in state institutions. Finally, Frieder Otto Wolf called on the members of the German Bundestag to consistently stand up for the protection of state neutrality. “If the members of the federal government do not show any will of their own in this regard, legislative clarifications should also be considered so that people’s trust in the religious neutrality of the state cannot be further undermined. Rededicating parts of a ministry temporarily subject to personal responsibility into a temple at will is not the task of government representatives. Federal Minister Ilse Aigner must also realize this.”