“Being a Christian and a Politician in Secular Europe” – CDI Christian Democratic Leadership Roundtable
21 October 2025
Lecture by Prof. Dr. Christian Alting von Geusau:
“Being a Christian and a Politician in Secular Europe”
I. Three Pillars
1. What does it mean to be a Christian?
2. What does it mean to be a politician?
3. How do these two meanings fit into secular society?
Why these basics?
There are a lot of misunderstandings and a lack of formation on these essential
questions amongst Christian politicians. Therefore, I have three questions for you:
– is your Christian faith a private affair or not?
– What is your highest duty as a politician?
– What is secularism? And how does it relate to communism?
II. In-depth analysis
1. What does it mean to be a Christian?
– A personal relationship with Christ, lived in community (= encounter)
– a life visibly rooted in the gospel, leading to both charity and clarity (= sign of
contradiction!)
– A life that is free from the world, but active in it (=freedom)
– > The Christian life always transcends itself and society. This is also the
reason why communist and other types of regimes hate it so much.
2. What does it mean to be a politician?
– To be a servant of the people command always seeking the common good
(not the good of just some)
– acting always in accordance with one’s well-formed conscience. This
conscience needs to be the result of ongoing education.
– Always protecting the sanctity of life and the dignity of every human being.
– > The daily to be sought balance between principle and compromise in
integrity.
“When statesman forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their
political responsibilities, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.”
(St. Thomas More, 1534)
3. How do these meanings fit into secular society?
– Catholic social teaching is the handbook.
Family (1), polity (2), church (3): these are the fundamentally important
division of competences that should be always understood and promoted by
the Christian politician. This is subsidiarity that leads to liberty.
– Unity of life of the Christian politician.
There is no difference between the public and the private in the person of the
politician.
– Building political friendships as a priority, refusing to dehumanise the other,
especially those that have a different political colour or opinion (Aristotle and
see ICLN lecture of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone).
III. Conclusion
The Christian in politics is:
– rooted deeply in Christ and the Gospel; the sacramental life
– a servant leader
– who loves his/her people
– and constantly seeks encounter
– whilst defending human life and dignity always
– acting on a well-formed conscience, in constant education
– in friendship with colleagues, regardless of their political colour or opinions
– > This builds peace, my ICLN experience since 2010 proves this and it is also
the goal of all that we do.
