- Feb 5, 2002
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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.”
Continued below.
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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.”
Continued below.

German archdiocese distances itself from controversial performance in cathedral
The Archdiocese of Paderborn in western Germany expressed regret that the staging had “hurt religious feelings” and has since initiated internal reviews.
