The Pope's visit to Luxembourg
Volt Luxembourg welcomes the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Luxembourg and emphasises the importance of freedom of belief and religion. At the same time, we would like to take this opportunity to draw attention to important social issues and challenges that are associated with this visit.
We share the demand of AHA (Alliance for Humanism and Atheism) that a secular state must, with the utmost caution and complete transparency, provide information about the funds used to receive a religious leader. It is essential that the public knows exactly how and for what state funds are used to ensure that no disproportionate expenditure is incurred.
In addition, we call for a critical examination of the problems of the church. It is of the utmost importance that the demands of organisations such as CID Fraen a Gender and Christian feminists are seriously and critically discussed. These demands include, among other things,
Gender equality within the church: Women should have the same rights and opportunities as men, including the opportunity to become priests. The continued discrimination against women in church offices is no longer appropriate and urgently needs to be reformed.
Addressing cases of abuse: The church must deal with cases of sexual abuse transparently and consistently and support the victims. There must be no cover-up or delay in investigating these crimes.
Modernisation of church teachings: The church should adapt its teachings and practices to today's social realities, particularly with regard to LGBTQ+ rights and the role of women. The church's rigid and often backward positions are at odds with the values of a modern and inclusive society.
Volt Luxembourg believes in freedom of belief and religion, but we want to emphasise the need to question and discuss religious practices and norms in order to promote a just and modern society. We therefore call for an open and critical debate on the role of the church and its practices in today's world.