Štefan Kuffa, the new state secretary of the culture ministry, made a rare political appearance in a church and in a 12-minute speech, asked the clergy to do their part to make Jesus Christ King of Slovakia.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Culture, we make a promise, and I make it publicly here, that we will be the ones who will initiate, so that as soon as possible, Christ the King will be enthroned and become the King of Slovakia,” Kuffa said.
Kuffa was nominated by the far-right Slovak National Party and first came into politics with Marián Kotleba, who was convicted for spreading Nazi symbolism. Kuffa is also currently facing charges for threatening a farmer in an alleged physical altercation in 2021.
Poland went through the process of enthroning Jesus Christ in 2016 after a parliament vote. The ceremony, while symbolic and without legal repercussions, was attended by President Andrzej Duda and several MPs.
Kuffa’s speech was criticised by opposition MEP Veronika Remišová, who said that “it has never happened before that a high-ranking politician preached at a Holy Mass and misused the church grounds for his political purposes”.
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová did not immediately respond to a question about whether she stands behind her state secretary’s statements. It is not the first time the nationalists made waves in the short time they have been in the government.
The original nominee for environment minister, Rudolf Huliak, had to be replaced after President Zuzana Čaputová disputed his nomination, as Huliak does not believe in climate change.
Head of the Slovak National Party, Andrej Danko, also criticised Prime Minister Robert Fico’s support of the latest EUCO conclusions, which included military aid for Ukraine, which Fico campaigned against.
(Barbara Zmušková | Euractiv.sk)
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