The celebration of an “ecumenical service” inspired by the Harry Potter universe in a Catholic church in Germany has prompted more than 500 formal complaints directed to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.
A few weeks ago, we reported on the announcement of this event at the Sacred Heart Church (Herz Jesu) in Herne, scheduled for February 28 and organized in collaboration between the Evangelical Haranni community and the Catholic Archdiocese of Paderborn. The event was aimed, according to its promotional brochure, at “Hogwarts fans and beginners,” promising a “magical evening” set with explicit references to the world created by J.K. Rowling.
Read also: A German parish announces an ecumenical service inspired by Harry Potter
Organized protest campaign
It has now been learned that the German Catholic lay group Christkönigtum (Christ the King) launched a massive email campaign requesting the cancellation of the event.
According to Kevin Mis, the group’s spokesperson, who spoke to LifeSiteNews, more than 500 complaint emails were sent to the Archdiocese of Paderborn. Bishop Udo Bentz was informed of the situation, and the diocese’s complaints management department intervened in the matter. Additionally, the publication of an official statement on the event was announced.
The spokesperson criticized that, according to local Catholic media, diocesan officials had downplayed the protests by referring to them as coming from “some individual faithful.”
Official defense from the archdiocese
In statements reported by CNA Deutsch, the Archdiocese of Paderborn defended the initiative by arguing that society is becoming increasingly secular and that knowledge of the Christian faith can no longer be taken for granted.
According to the archdiocese, the use of images and stories from contemporary culture can help build bridges to the faith and facilitate a first approach to the Sacred Scripture. For this reason, the organizers would have drawn on elements from the well-known literary saga to structure an ecumenical Word service.
The diocese emphasized that narratives like Harry Potter “are not a source of faith nor can they be equated in any way with the Sacred Scripture,” insisting that the central content of the event would remain the Word of God and the Christian message.
It also assured that the literary references would have an exclusively didactic character and would not relativize or dilute the Gospel. It further stated that the sacred character of the service and the dignity of the temple would remain fully preserved.
Debate in a context of ecclesial crisis
The Christkönigtum group described the event as a “scandal” in the current context of the Church in Germany, marked by internal tensions and a marked process of secularization.
For its part, the archdiocese noted that similar initiatives have already been held in other dioceses and have been “well received,” although it acknowledged that some faithful have expressed concerns. These, it indicated, will be taken seriously and incorporated into the final planning of the event.
In the meantime, the ecumenical service remains scheduled for February 28.