Criticism of Hubertus Mass in Montlingen

On November 23, 2025 at 09:00, a Hubertus Mass with the «JagdhornBrass Allegro» is scheduled to take place in the Catholic Church of St. Johannes in Montlingen. 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 hobby hunters, contradict every Christian ethic in the view of IG Wild beim Wild. Instead of teaching respect for life, they symbolically give their blessing to killing.

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

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

As with military signal trumpets, the hunting horn is predominantly a variant of the natural trumpet with a very limited, primitive and unfamiliar tonal range for the war music of hobby hunters. Such events are hoped to attract recruits for the sectarian and violence-prone hunting associations.

Hobby 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, asa court in Bellinzonarecently confirmed.

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

Hunting exacerbates the problem instead of solving it

IG Wild beim Wild refers to numerous scientific studies that prove hunting is not suitable for permanently regulating wildlife populations. Particularly 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 create not less, but more animal cruelty,» according to IG Wild beim Wild.

Added to this are the massive animal welfare problems: During driven hunts, according to the Veterinary Association for Animal Protection, up to two-thirds of animals shot 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 real message is to live in peace with animals – not to hunt, harm and kill them», says IG Wild beim Wild.

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

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