Opinion: When Christian values meet secular politics

Christian political parties are under pressure in Europe. Not only do we see more and more empty seats in churches, but we also see fewer people voting for their usual parties. But does that also mean that Christian politicians are disappearing?

Especially in Western Europe, we see a trend of Christians being elected for non- Christian political parties and even secular parties that represent parts of traditional Christian thought. Are Christian politicians in secular political parties setting their values aside, or are they making a secular party more Christian-minded from the inside out?

Historical ties as an indication

Not every country has a strong historical Christian political party as we know in Germany with CDU/CSU or the Netherlands with CDA and SGP. In those countries, Christian political parties have been part of the establishment for more than 100 years. That does not say that countries without those Christian parties don’t have or represent Christians.

For example, Albania is known for the coexistence between Muslims and Christians. According to the 2023 census, around 16 percent of the population identifies as Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant. In practice, we do not see a lot of people openly advocating or speaking out as Christians, nor has a Christian political party ever been successful. Perhaps this is partly because of the country’s communist history and its period of state atheism until 1990.

It is not only smaller countries in the Balkans where we see Christian politicians active in secular parties. We also see it in the UK. Historically, the Conservative Party has strong ties with the Church of England, but there was never a “clear Christian party”. It is now the case that the strong ties between the Church of England and the Conservative Party are on the back burner.

In the UK, political parties organise their Christian voices differently. Labour, for example, has Christians on the Left, a Christian movement affiliated with the Labour Party that works to support Christians in Labour politics. Similar Christian political networks also exist around other parties. But how does a Christian make the decision to become active in a non-Christian party?

Becoming a Christian Politician

Born in a secular family, Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj came to faith at a young age. Around his thirteenth birthday, Veliaj volunteered at an orphanage. While there, he worked as a translator for American missionaries from Campus Crusade for Christ at Tirana Baptist Church, and later became involved with Grace Community.

These moments motivated him to contact American Christian networks in order to contribute to humanitarian projects, civic engagement and initiatives to tackle corruption. These experiences developed into good relationships and later led him to move from volunteering to civil society leadership and, in the end, to national politics. And where did he end up from there? The Socialist Party of Albania.

Faith in public

At first glance, Veliaj’s Christian ties and anti-corruption activism appear difficult to reconcile with his affiliation with the Socialist Party. Yet Albania’s political landscape does not always follow the traditional divisions between Christian, conservative and socialist politics that are more familiar in Western Europe.

As mayor, Veliaj also sought to strengthen relations between the municipality and Tirana’s different Christian communities. During Easter, he spoke at a Protestant church in Kombinat and highlighted the role of religious communities and their work supporting people in need. His engagement with churches therefore offers an example of how Christian faith can remain part of a politician’s public identity even when that politician operates within a non-Christian political party.

Wake-up call

Other problems within Albania’s government are unfolding within the country. The Tirana mayor is in pre-trial detention for more than nineteen months, accused of corruption. There is still no conviction, which makes it a very uncertain period for Veliaj. He wrote in a letter from prison that his faith is one of the things that keeps him motivated and alive.

The location where he is being held in pre-trial detention is in Durrës. For people who know its history, it remains a significant place to go through this procedure. Durrës is the place where St. Astius was martyred. He was the early bishop of Dyrrachium who lived around the end of the first century. In the Christian tradition, he was arrested and martyred under the Roman Emperor Trajan for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.

Faith leaders from various denominations have requested to meet the Tirana mayor while he is in pre-trial detention but were denied the opportunity to speak with him. This should be a wake-up call for Christians in Europe and beyond. Why does the greater Christian community stay silent? It should be a right to meet him.

What next?

As Christianity further declines in Europe, we see it becoming tougher to sustain Christian political parties. Despite this, the current Christian parties should make it their job to get the next generation involved for survival’s sake. At the same time, we have to recognise that Christian political parties made a strong framework within civil society and beyond. In countries where those political parties were never part of the establishment, we see it becoming difficult to apply religious rights as in Albania with the case of Veliaj who is cut off from any contact with faith leaders.

The most important call to action for European Christians is not necessarily to sustain Christian political parties, but to keep civil Christian rights alive: the freedom to practice and express Christianity openly, to educate children according to Christian beliefs, to establish churches and Christian organisations, and to participate freely in public life. Should political parties become the only vessel for protecting these rights?