Bishop Mixa's defence of family values

More criticism from all sides

Family Minister, Van der Leyen warns the Christian Democrats of a return to the 1950s

Translation of Part I. Part II of this article to follow.

Hypocrisy, cynicism, verbal abuse. The dispute about future nursery places becomes more controversial.

Frau Nahles of the Socialist Party calls the Family Minister’s plans “a makeover programme”, whilst Family Minister van der Leyen considers the dispute in her party “almost cynical”. Member of the Socialist Party governing body, Andrea Nahles reproaches her coalition partner for being hypocritical in order to achieve improved nursery care.

Frau Nahles, centre, pretending to be one of the Three Kings.
Beware of socialists bearing gifts.

She says in the Liepziger Volkszeitung that instead of reproaching the socialists for their financing suggestions of improved nursery care “they should, in the first place, their own ideological problems in their own court”. The SPD leftwinger suggested on the topic of financing to utilise a period of time, for instance, five years and that instead of increasing child benefit in this time to use the freed-up means in a qualitative and quantitative extension of nursery care. If the Union considers this suggestions as not being “socialists” then their intention is to hide their own ideological problems. “Frau van der Leyen’s make-up is very thin”, Nahles said critically. On the other the Family Minister considered it cynical when some people make out as if a voluntary offer of a nursery place for a child is seen as an obligation to send one’s child there. In view of the heated debate on her proposal of extending massively children’s nursery provision in Germany, she warned the Frankfurter Rundschau about the conflict between generations in the CDU. “We should not try to go back to the 50s, when we are in the year 2010.” Van der Leyen said it is beyond discussion to comment on the reproach of the Augsberg Bishop Mixa that she degrades women to baby making machines when she tries to extend provision for women of more nursery places. Demands for a family summit were brushed aside by the Minister when she said, “ I don’t think much of summits” The interaction of State, regions and local government cannot be handled in a summit on one morning.

Bishop Mixa criticism has continued to attract great interest. The German Family League in Bavaria, on Sunday, supported Mixa’s position. The needs of the family are only met in family policy at the moment if this is in the interest of the economy. This is what Johannes Schroeter of Munich, the Regional Chairman of the Family League said. “ The result is the one-sided emphasis on the mother’s earnings which Bishop Mixa quite rightly criticises.”

Para on Bishop Mixa’s restated position – see original story.

The Catholic Family League in Bavaria stated that the background to the latest family policy is in actual fact a strategy paper published by the national Family Ministry and the National Association of German Industry, dated November 2004. The aim of this paper was to ensure availability of a large workforce for the economy, despite a reducing population. It was seen that this could be achieved by increased nursery care outside the family and the withdrawal of the financial support for family childcare.

This strategy paper has now more and more taken on concrete in the hands of van der Leyen.

The Young Liberals in Swabia however, have asked Bishop Mixa to apologise for his verbal abuse whereby the expression “child bearing machines” was totally unacceptable. In fact, Bishop Mixa should in future concentrate on the care of souls and should respect the seperation of religion and state.

Cathcon note

Mixa has now withdrawn the use of this expression.