Criticism of Hubertus Mass in Pfynwald

On November 3, 2025, a Hubertus Mass with the «Jagdhornbläser Bortelhorn» is scheduled to take place in Pfynwald. IG Wild beim Wild strongly 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 grant their blessing to kill.

«Celebrating a church 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 untruths, brutal violence, hatred and falsehood. Such beings like to join hunting associations and hunting horn groups and wallow with like-minded individuals in this breeding ground.

As with military signal trumpets, the hunting horn consists mainly of variants of the natural trumpet with a very limited, primitive and unusual tonal range for the war music of recreational hunters. Such events aim to recruit new members for 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 recently confirmed bya court in Bellinzona.

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

Hunting aggravates the problem instead of solving it

The IG 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 causes animals to reach sexual maturity earlier and reproduce faster. «Those who shoot more and more create not less, but more animal cruelty,» says the IG.

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

Distorted Hubertus legend

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

Christianity is a religion of compassion 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 on church representatives to distance themselves from violence-glorifying Hubertus masses and to take responsibility for preserving creation. «Whoever blesses animals in the name of God only to have them senselessly killed afterwards mocks the Gospel and becomes complicit in senseless animal suffering.»