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.
Links
Young Conservatives Debate Night II
CDI organised the second Young Conservatives Debate Night together with Christian Democratic Youth, IKSZ, and Te Deum, the youth organisation of the Order of St John. Guest speaker Dr. Tibor Navracsics, Minister for Public Administration and Regional Development, spoke about the present and future of Christian democracy and emphasised the importance of debate as a path to truth.
Participants debated two motions on Christian democracy in Europe and family-centred housing policy, and also received training in constructive debate from Boldizsár Paládi-Kovács. The initiative aims to provide young people with a forum to strengthen their public speaking skills and engage in substantive discussion grounded in Christian democratic values.
IDC–CDI Africa Conference
CDI took part in the IDC-CDI Africa Conference in Paris, which brought together leaders and representatives committed to democracy, fairness, and prosperity across the African continent.
Participants included Andrés Pastrana, President of IDC-CDI; Ulisses Correia e Silva, President of IDC-CDI Africa and Prime Minister of Cape Verde; representatives from 18 African countries; and delegates from 20 African political parties, including Adalberto Costa Júnior, President of UNITA in Angola.
Discussions focused on migration and brain drain, democracy and fair elections, the role of the African Union and the African Parliament, and current developments in Somalia and other countries. The conference concluded with a joint declaration reaffirming a shared commitment to the rule of law, democratic values, and sustainable economic growth in Africa.
Alejandro Peña Esclusa, CDI’s leading Latin America expert, was a guest of the Danube Institute.
Alejandro Peña Esclusa, CDI’s leading expert on Latin America, was a guest of the Danube Institute.
Has the Hour of Freedom Arrived to Venezuela? – Roundtable discussion
CDI and MCC organised the roundtable discussion “Has the Hour of Freedom Arrived in Venezuela?” as part of a broader conversation on global security.
The event examined Venezuela’s prospects beyond Maduro, with particular attention to the political and institutional conditions required for a genuine democratic transition.
Maduro’s fall does not mark the arrival of democracy – article
In this article, Alejandro Peña Esclusa, CDI’s leading expert on Latin America, offers an insider perspective on the situation in Venezuela. His central argument is that the removal of a dictator is not, in itself, the same as democratic transition.
Without dismantling entrenched political and security structures, any change of government remains fragile. The full article is available here.
Democracy and Technology – Roundtable Discussion | Ljubljana
CDI took part in the roundtable discussion “Democracy and Technology” held in Ljubljana on 9 January 2026 at the Grand Plaza Hotel & Congress Center. Organised by the Dr. Jože Pučnik Institute, the event explored how technological innovation is reshaping democratic governance and political participation.
The programme opened with remarks by Janez Janša, former Prime Minister of Slovenia, and featured a panel discussion with Alejandro Peña Esclusa, who addressed the relationship between democracy, authoritarianism, and the political impact of modern technologies.
Alejandro Peña Esclusa – Chile: Checkmate to the Left
In a recent interview, Alejandro Peña Esclusa, CDI’s leading expert on Latin America, argues that Chile’s political shift should be understood as part of a broader regional realignment. He links the weakening of left-wing governments in the region to failures of governance and the growing influence of organised crime, and contends that developments in Venezuela will remain central to wider political change in Latin America.
In his view, the central divide is increasingly defined not by traditional left-right labels, but by the defence of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law against authoritarian projects. The full article is available here.
Christmas reading recommendation
“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.
Links
Strengthening Asia–Europe Dialogue at ICAPP / 6th AEPF
Read more