Criticism of Hubertus Mass in Mumpf

On September 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM, a Hubertus Mass with the 'Jagdhornbläser Fricktal' is scheduled to take place in the Catholic Church of St. Martin in Mumpf. 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 give blessing to kill.

'Celebrating a worship service that gives hunters church backing for killing defenseless fellow creatures sends a completely wrong message,' 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, brutal violence, hatred and falsehood. Such beings like to join hunting associations and hunting horn groups and wallow with like-minded individuals in this collecting pool.

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 hobby hunters. Such events hope to recruit new members for sectarian and violence-prone hunting organizations.

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, as recently confirmed by a court in Bellinzona.

Hobby 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

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 leads to animals reaching sexual maturity earlier and reproducing faster. 'Those who shoot more and more create not less, but more animal cruelty,' according to the IG.

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 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 invokes the legend of Saint Hubertus, but misses 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 harass, 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

IG Wild beim Wild urgently calls upon church representatives to distance themselves from violence-glorifying Hubertus masses and to fulfill their responsibility for protecting creation. "Whoever blesses animals in God's name only to then have them killed senselessly mocks the Gospel and becomes complicit in senseless animal suffering."