Status: 04/10/2022 12:46 p.m
The vocal ensemble of Cologne Cathedral protested against Cologne’s Archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, with a partial musical boycott on Palm Sunday. Only eight of the otherwise 50 choristers performed in a mass.
It was a small delegation: Instead of 50, only 8 vocal ensemble members of the Cologne Cathedral sang on Palm Sunday during a mass with the Archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki. The singers who were there are mostly of Protestant faith – or not heterosexual.
The action was directed against Woelki’s controversial leadership. Among other things, he is accused of slowing down the clarification of sexualized violence in the archdiocese.
Woelki did not go into the action
Cologne Cathedral: Pontifical Mass on Palm Sunday
Image: cathedral radio
Woelki, who had apparently been warned on Friday, did not say a word about the action during the fair. In his Palm Sunday sermon, the 65-year-old cardinal appealed to the community to use Holy Week to “pray for peace in the world, to work and above all to live it in one’s own life”.
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki stands at the altar during the pontifical mass in Cologne Cathedral
Image: dpa/Henning Kaiser
Even after Woelki had returned from his five-month break, there had apparently been a discussion about his return at a choir rehearsal three weeks ago. It is said to have been about the difficult conditions in the Archdiocese of Cologne and whether everything is going to go on like this.
Some choir members then wrote the cardinal a letter because they wanted to talk to him about reforms in the archdiocese. They have been waiting for an answer for three weeks. Woelki had previously repeatedly emphasized that he wanted to enter into a dialogue with the church base.
Only queers and Protestants sing in front of Woelki
This contradiction between his announcement and the cardinal’s behavior apparently led to the majority of the choir members not wanting to perform. And this despite the fact that the performance on this Palm Sunday is an anniversary performance for the vocal ensemble of the Cologne Cathedral. The cathedral’s vocal ensemble was founded 25 years ago.
The appearance at the palm service in Cologne Cathedral should not be completely canceled, according to choir member Edith Timpe in an interview with WDR on Saturday. According to the Catholic religion teacher, the eight singers who perform are exclusively queer people and Protestants.
Choir members sing in other churches
The archdiocese has not yet revealed what the cardinal thinks. So far, no one has been available for a statement from the WDR. Domkapellmeister Eberhardt Metternich had no objections to the way his choir members proceeded. After all, the choir represents Cologne society. It is not the first time that the choir has performed with such a small cast. This was also necessary in the past because of Corona.
The singers who do not want to sing for the Archbishop of Cologne will still perform on Sunday. They sing in three other churches in Cologne, each in a cast of eight choir members.
WDR television also reported on the topic in the current hour on April 10, 2022.
Source: wdr.de
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