Slovakia's Catholic bishops have denounced rampant "fraud and corruption", as key national elections were won resoundingly by politicians campaigning for tighter rules on graft and money-laundering.
"Some have come to doubt whether it is even worth voting", the Bishops Conference said in a pastoral message. "But let's not be carried away by watchwords playing on emotions and slogans evoking non-existent threats. Let's uphold peace and common sense, and beware those who incite enmity".
The message was circulated to churches nationwide ahead of last weekend's election, in which the opposition Ordinary People party, headed by Igor Matovic, triumphed with over a third of parliamentary seats on an anti-corruption platform. It said party-political goals should always be "confronted with Gospel values" and "perseverance rather than shortcuts", as well as with "constructive approaches which have a real perspective".
"We are disgusted by fraud and corruption, both material and moral, but we should not lose hope," the Bishops Conference added. "It is a serious matter to cheat over property, but no less serious when it comes humanity. So let us not give in to the dishonesty of new ideologies - our consciences will never be in conflict when our decisions are made in light of the Gospel".
The Catholic Church traditionally comprises two-thirds of Slovakia's population of 5.4 million, and has clashed with recent governments over same-sex marriage, sex education in schools and state funding for abortion. Slovak media said Matovic's victory had been helped by continuing public anger over the 2018 murder of a journalist, Jan Kuciak, investigating top-level corruption. Reports suggested the politician could obtain a constitutional majority for a centre-right coalition, after premier Peter Pellegrini's centre-left Smer-Social Democrat party conceded defeat after a decade in power.
In a brief message on Sunday, the Bishops Conference president, Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky of Bratislava, said he counted on a new government to ensure "justice, reconciliation and the protection of human dignity".
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