AfD's Malte Kaufmann meets Pope Leo XIV amid Catholic Convention row
AfD politician Malte Kaufmann met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Friday. The German MP used the visit to criticise the exclusion of his party from a major Catholic event. His comments came after attending an audience for OSCE parliamentary representatives.
Kaufmann later shared a photo of the meeting on social media, claiming the Pope welcomed the AfD’s stance on family and Christian values. The meeting took place during a papal audience for OSCE parliamentarians. Kaufmann, a Bundestag member for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), told the Pope that his party defends traditional family structures and Christian principles in Germany.
Afterwards, he posted on X that Pope Leo XIV had reacted positively to the AfD’s positions. The post included a photo of their encounter.
Kaufmann also condemned the German Catholic Convention (Katholikentag) for barring AfD representatives in recent years. He called the exclusion 'unacceptable' and accused organisers of trying to split society.
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) avoided direct comment on the ban. However, she noted that some AfD policies clash with Christian teachings on human dignity. The Catholic Convention has maintained its exclusion of the party for several editions. The Vatican meeting gave Kaufmann a platform to highlight the AfD’s claims on Christian values. His criticism of the Catholic Convention’s exclusion policy follows years of debate over the party’s participation.
The exchange also drew attention to tensions between the AfD’s political positions and the views of German Catholic leaders.
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