New German Chancellor does not read the phrase about God during his oath
Olaf Scholz takes the oath. Photo: twitter.com/bianet_org
On December 8, 2021, the new Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, took the oath of office renouncing the mention of God in the text. This was reported by the Bundestag website.
The text of the oath provided for in the Basic Law reads as follows: I swear to use my strength for the welfare of the German people, to multiply their benefits, to divert threats from them, to respect and protect the Constitution and laws of the Federation, to perform my duties properly and to be fair to everyone. May God help me."
The last sentence is pronounced by politicians at their discretion, but only two of the nine chancellors have rejected it – Gerhard Schroeder and the newly elected Scholz.
Also, unlike his predecessors, Scholz does not belong to any of the denominations, specifies Sonntagsblatt. He used to belong to the Evangelical Church, but left it a few years ago.
At the same time, the politician does not consider himself an atheist and emphasizes that the faith and the church shaped him.
"As a politician, I am in favor of everyone appreciating the Christian nature of our culture," he explained in an autumn interview with the Katholischen Nachrichtenagentur (KNA).
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that atheists in the United States demanded that the phrase "May God help me" be removed from the text of the oath.
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