Criticism of Hubertus Mass in Schwarzsee

On 02 November 2025 at 10:30 AM, a Hubertus Mass with the hunting horn group and the hunting association DIANA-SENSE Oberland FR is scheduled to take place in St. Niklaus Church in 1716 Schwarzsee. IG Wild beim Wild sharply criticizes this event and calls on the church to clearly distance itself from hunting and its glorification.

Hubertus Masses, which are primarily attended and co-organized by militant recreational hunters, contradict all Christian ethics from the perspective of IG Wild beim Wild. Instead of teaching respect for life, they symbolically give blessing to killing.

«Celebrating a worship service that gives hunters ecclesiastical backing for killing defenseless fellow creatures sends a completely wrong signal,» says Julia Bielecki, theologian. «Churches must advocate for the preservation of creation, not for its destruction.»

There are people who shape their daily lives with lies, brute force, hatred and falsehood. Such beings like to join hunting associations and hunting horn groups and wallow with like-minded individuals in this cesspit.

As with military signal trumpets, hunting horns are predominantly variants of the natural trumpet with a very limited, primitive and unusual tonal range for the war music of recreational hunters. With such events, they hope to recruit new members for the sectarian and violence-prone hunting associations.

Recreational hunters spread unspeakable suffering, terror and misery among both humans and wildlife. Practically everything that is cruel, unnecessary and heartless is promoted by hunting associations, as recentlya court in Bellinzonaconfirmed.

Recreational hunters practice speciesism. Speciesism is comparable to racism and sexism, and that is not culture or tradition.

Hunting exacerbates the problem instead of solving it

IG refers to numerous scientific studies proving that hunting is not suitable for permanently regulating wildlife populations. Especially with wild boar, raccoons or foxes, high hunting pressure leads to animals becoming sexually mature earlier and reproducing faster. «Those who shoot more and more do not create less, but more animal cruelty,» says IG.

Added to this are the massive animal welfare problems: In driven hunts, according to the Veterinary Association for Animal Protection, up to two-thirds of the animals hit do not die immediately. They flee with shattered bones or open wounds and often die in agony after days.

Distorted Hubertus legend

The Hubertus Mass refers to the legend of Saint Hubertus, but misunderstands its core. After encountering the cross-bearing stag, Hubertus ended hunting and turned to Christ.«The actual message is to live in peace with animals – not to chase, injure and kill them», states the IG.

Christianity is a religion of mercy and respect for life. Nowhere in the Bible is there any indication that Christ hunted animals. On the contrary: «Thou shalt not kill» applies universally.

Appeal to the Church

The IG Wild beim Wild urgently calls upon church representatives to distance themselves from violence-glorifying Hubertus masses and to take responsibility for the preservation of creation. «Those who bless animals in God's name only to then have them senselessly killed mock the Gospel and become complicit in senseless animal suffering.»

As a hunting horn player, one engages in public relations work particularly at the Hubertus mass. «We are essentially the mouthpiece of hunting, the communication tool between hunters and the population», explains recreational hunter Buri-Frank.