Criticism of Hubertus Mass in Zurich St. Peter

On November 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM, a St. Peter Church in Zurich is scheduled to hold a Hubertus Mass with the «Jagdhornbläser Eschenberg (Winterthur)». 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 all Christian ethics from the perspective of IG Wild beim Wild. Instead of teaching respect for life, they symbolically grant blessing to kill.

«Celebrating a worship service that gives hunters ecclesiastical support 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 falsehoods, brute violence, hatred and deceit. 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, hunting horns are predominantly variants 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 recruit new members for the sectarian and violence-prone hunting associations.

Hobby hunters spread unspeakable suffering, terror and misery among both people and wildlife. Practically everything that is cruel, unnecessary and heartless is promoted by hunting associations, as a court in Bellinzona recently confirmed.

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

Hunting exacerbates the problem instead of solving it

The IG refers to numerous scientific studies that prove hunting is not suitable for permanently regulating wildlife populations. Especially with wild boar, raccoons or foxes, high hunting pressure causes the animals to become sexually mature earlier and reproduce more rapidly. 'The more you shoot, the more animal cruelty you create, not less,' according to the IG.

Additionally, there are massive animal welfare problems: During 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 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 actual message is to live in peace with animals – not to chase, injure and kill them,' according to 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

IG Wild beim Wild urgently calls on church representatives to distance themselves from violence-glorifying Hubertus masses and to take responsibility for preserving creation. 'Anyone who blesses animals in God's name only to have them senselessly killed afterwards mocks the gospel and becomes complicit in senseless animal suffering.'

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