‘Actioun Lëtzebuergesch’, an association dedicated to the promotion of the Luxembourgish language, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Back when the association was founded in 1971, the use of the Luxembourgish language was not as widespread as today. There were no Luxembourgish ads in newspapers and all road signs were in French.
A lot has changed since then, and the offer for Luxembourgish courses has skyrocketed. Bache pointed out that ‘Actioun Lëtzebuergesch’ has helped pave the way for many of these reforms and changes.
Radio and television have a particular responsibility to act as examples for “good Luxembourgish”, Bache stressed. He criticised that all too often, German words are used instead of “more proper” Luxembourgish words.
Regarding Luxembourg’s multicultural landscape, Bache argued that he thinks there is “no way around Luxembourgish” for someone who intends to settle in the Grand Duchy long-term, seeing as Luxembourgish remains the primary social language for most Luxembourgers.
To this end, people must be supported in learning Luxembourgish, with Bache stressing that ‘Actioun Lëtzebuergesch’ has always campaigned for a greater use of Luxembourgish and never against the use of other languages.
Besides his work for ‘Actioun Lëtzebuergesch’, Claude Bache is also a dean in the Luxembourgish Catholic Church.
Under the newly adapted Covid-19 law, religious services must be held under the ‘2G+' regime (vaccinated OR cured AND a negative test) from Saturday.
Essentially, this means that only vaccinated or cured individuals may participate in religious services. And if they have not yet had their booster shot, they must also take a rapid test before entering the church.
While Bache stated that he understands why the government had to take these measures, he acknowledged that they do create quite a lot of “stress” ahead of Christmas.
As the law will only enter into force on Saturday, services on Christmas Eve will either take place under the ‘3G’ regime or without any check at all, if the church is big enough.
However, Bache stressed that while there is a right to practice one’s religion freely, there is no question that public health currently takes absolute priority.
There have been cases of people who refuse to be vaccinated lamenting that they are being excluded from the church.
Bache’s answer to these people is: “We are not excluding you, but you are excluding yourself”. They will simply have to follow the services on the radio or on television, Bache stated.
