Queer service from Münster: ZDF broadcasts premiere for acceptance!

Queer service from Münster: ZDF broadcasts premiere for acceptance!

On Sunday, the premiere of a special service by the “Queer Community of Münster” took place on German television. The broadcast from the Catholic Church of St. Anna in Münster-Mecklenbeck was broadcast by ZDF and marks a significant step for the visibility of queer faith in Germany. The queer community celebrates this moment as it has advocated for acceptance and community for over 25 years, providing a space for people from the LGBTQI* community to live their faith without fear and with respect. exxpress.at reports that the focus of the service is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 18: 9-14).

Pastor Karsten Weidisch, who led the service, encouraged the participants to accept themselves by emphasizing: "Be yourself, stand by yourself! Be who you are, on the move!" However, this interpretation of the parable is viewed by critics as alienating the biblical core. In a context that is still characterized by the exclusion of queer people, the queer community sees the live broadcast as an opportunity for more acceptance within the church.

Preparations and accompanying program

The organizational preparations for the broadcast are extensive and begin six months before the broadcast. Susanna Juchem from the Catholic Radio and Television Work explained how important the planning process is to ensure that everything runs smoothly. On average, around 800,000 viewers watch ZDF's Sunday services, which significantly increases the reach of the queer community. The band effata provided the music! under the direction of Anselm Thissen, who, among other things, performed the song “You are so different”, composed by Jan Diekmann.

After the broadcast, viewers had the opportunity to speak to members of the queer community via a telephone number that was displayed. The queer community, which describes itself as a “church and home for LGBTIQ*”, also uses this service as a platform to spread its message: queer Christians are believers and belong to the church. Jan Diekmann from the queer community emphasizes that they don't want to provoke anyone, but just want to show that there is room for everyone in the faith.

Social context

In broader terms, the encounter between queer theology and Christian teaching is a complex issue. Despite the sermons about charity and equality, there is a noticeable exclusion of queer people in the 21st century, which conservative hardliners often underpin with biblical passages. Queer theology, on the other hand, reinterprets these texts and sees them as sources of queer empowerment. The Catholic and Protestant churches have made progress in recent decades, but there is still resistance from conservative and evangelical circles. Deutschlandfunk culture reports on the challenges that still exist and the importance of reinterpretations from a queer perspective.

It remains to be seen how acceptance for queer people will develop within the Catholic Church, especially in light of the new visibility made possible by services like those of the Queergemeinde Münster. The success of this premiere is not only a victory for the community, but also an attempt to stimulate a broader discussion about acceptance in faith communities.