German archdiocese distances itself from controversial performance in cathedral
The Paderborn Cathedral in Germany / Credit: By A.Savin / Wikimedia Free Art License CNA Deutsch, May 29, 2025 / 10:48 am (CNA).
A German archdiocese has distanced itself from the controversial performance “Westfalen Side Story” in Paderborn Cathedral and told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, that it had no prior knowledge of the specific content of the performance.
The Archdiocese of Paderborn in Western Germany expressed regret that the staging had “hurt religious feelings,” and has since initiated internal reviews.
The controversial performance by the ensemble Bodytalk on May 15 triggered a wave of outrage and led to a petition with more than 20,000 signatories. Under the title “Against the Desecration of Paderborn Cathedral: For the Protection of Our Sacred Sites,” the faithful call for a clear response from the Church.
The high-profile event was attended by Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister President Hendrik Wüst, CNA Deutsch reported.
The performance was intended to be part of official celebrations marking the 1,250th anniversary of Westphalia. It featured a woman and a half-naked man wielding scythes followed by a second shirtless man who entered with a bowl full of plucked chickens wrapped in diapers.
The performers made the dead animals “walk” by their hands through the altar area while they sang “Fleisch ist Fleisch” (“Meat is meat”) to the tune of the 1984 pop song “Live is Life” by Austrian band Opus.
The official statement further noted that the cathedral had “frequently been the site of high-level cultural events in the past.”
Regarding the controversial performance, the archdiocese stated: “The specific content and design of this program segment was not known in advance to those responsible either on the organizers’ side or at the venue.” Looking ahead, the archdiocese announced: “We take the reactions to the performance very seriously and have already begun reviewing our internal procedures.”
At the same time, the statement expressed “explicit regret that the performance hurt religious feelings.”
The archdiocese further emphasized that such an effect was “never intended at any point” and also “does not reflect our expectations for this place with its special religious, historical, and cultural significance.”
The petition hosted on the platform CitizenGo is addressed to Paderborn’s Archbishop Udo Bentz. The signatories call not only for a public apology but also for an “act of penance and reparation with a reconsecration of the cathedral in Paderborn, which was desecrated by this performance.”
The collected signatures will be submitted not only to the archbishop but also to the apostolic nuncio in Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterović.
The petition states: “Catholic churches are sacred spaces, built for worship and oriented toward the veneration of God. The use of our churches should always point to God’s presence and lead to adoration.”
This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapated by CNA.
