Catholic priest Marian Kuffa (source: TASR)
Roman Catholic bishops stood up against the political engagement of the Church's priest, Marián Kuffa, whose brother's party has recently signed a pre-election cooperation deal with the far right People's Party - Our Slovakia (ĽSNS).
ĽSNS leader Marian Kotleba announced on November 14 his party's cooperation with four smaller parties, namely Národná Koalícia, Doma Dobre, Priama Demokracia, and Kresťanská Demokracia – Život a Prosperita – Aliancia za Slovensko (KDŽP). The latter is led by ultra-conservative politician Štefan Kuffa, the priest's brother.
The billboard campaign of the party has run in Slovakia in recent weeks with the slogan: What priest Kuffa says theologically, we will push through politically.
Marián Kuffa, who is a rank-and-file parish priest in the northern-Slovak village of Žakovce, however, denies being affiliated with the party in any way.
Even through other persons
Two bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, the Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský, who heads the Conference of Bishops of Slovakia, and the Spiš Bishop Štefan Sečka, under whose diocese falls the parish of Žakovce, issued a joint statement on November 15, slamming the political engagement of clerics.
They wrote it is not adequate for the clerical state, even if it is indirect, "through other persons".
