The Archbishop of Hamburg, Monsignor Stefan Heße, has joined the German bishops who have publicly reacted to the Islamist attack carried out last weekend during the Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Berlin. On the eve of the Pride marches to be held this Saturday in Hamburg and Bonn, the prelate expressed his support for these events and called for not being intimidated by violence.
In statements released by the German agency KNA, Heße affirmed that “Christopher Street Day is a visible sign that every person must be respected in their dignity.” After the Berlin attack, he added, “many people feel unsafe,” which is why he considered it “even more important not to let ourselves be intimidated by hatred and violence.”
“Whoever wants to instill fear in people and drive them out of public space must not succeed. Queer people are part of our society and deserve respect, protection, and the freedom to live visibly,” the archbishop stated. He also recalled that “every human being is made in the image of God and possesses an inalienable dignity,” affirming that “hatred, exclusion, and violence are incompatible with the Christian understanding of the human person.”
An auxiliary bishop of Cologne also speaks out
On the occasion of the Christopher Street Day scheduled for this Saturday in Bonn, the auxiliary bishop of Cologne, Monsignor Dominikus Schwaderlapp, likewise condemned all forms of violence and intimidation.
“The dignity of every person is inviolable. Violence and intimidation have no place in our society,” he stated in remarks to KNA. The prelate added that “every person deserves respect and the protection of their dignity” and expressed his hope that the celebrations would take place peacefully and in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
Reactions continue after the Berlin attack
Heße’s statements come after the Archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, expressed his dismay at the Islamist attack that tragically ended the Christopher Street Day held in the German capital. Koch described what happened as “terrible to destroy such a happy and moving celebration in such a brutal way” and announced that the Sunday Masses of the archdiocese would be offered for the victims, the injured, and for peaceful coexistence in society.
The attack took place on July 25, when a van drove into the crowd gathered at the end of the Pride march in Berlin, killing one woman and leaving nearly thirty injured. The alleged perpetrator, identified by authorities as a young man linked to radical Islamism, later died during a police operation.