#outinchurch

[leuchtstabrebell]

just saw the Jesus Christ Superstar production in Nuremberg with a friend and thought i'd share some of my observations because this was WILD

details under the cut because i have a lot to say but this might be one of the queerest and boldest productions of JSC i have ever seen. the pope is herodes, nuns are participating in orgies, Mary is a mother, the catholic church is critizised every step of the way, hirarchies and power structures are questioned, and Judas wears a skirt. There are neon crosses and halos and a lot of blood, and so much thought and love put into this. The production value is very good as well. The cast is very young, especially the apostels and Judas and Jesus who are all in their early to mid-twenties, and the vibes are simply amazing.

This production is set in modern day rome and the vatican. jesus and the apostels are queer leftists activists trying to reform/act against the catholic church. like, this is the central element of this production.

(text on these signs reads, from l. to r.: No mandatory celibacy, God is a woman, Maria 2.0, #outinchurch, renewal now, the head of the fish is rotten. The banner reads "God is the love")

Many of these signs are references to reform movements inside the church and discussions around abuse of all kind in the catholic church, as well as demands for a more inclusive christianity (and society).

Jesus officates a wedding between two women apostels and everything is very gay. there are several rainbow flags involved. jesus is draped in a giant version of the flag at one point.

that being said, it is made pretty explicit that mary and jesus have some kind of relationship thing goin on??? They also sometimes seem removed from the rest of the group who have major found family vibes. they go on picnis and protests together, they care for each other, they dance, they sing, they cuddle. there was so much going on, I probably missed a lot of interactions between the apostels. Judas was very involved in the group, more than mary or jesus even, and judas and simon had a very cute friendship (they even play-fought in the beginning). They all hugged and kissed each other a lot as well. (Fun fact: many of the apostels are still in actors school and they did a cooperation with the staatstheater nuremberg which offered them the chance to participate in such a big production)

Now my thoughts on the individual characters:

Mary: sadly, my least favourite character in this production. i didn't really vibe with the actress, although she was great vocally. She rarely interacted with the apostels and kept mostly to herself and the apartment she shared with jesus and her child (I don't like the decision to have them live together almost like a nuclear family). it also did not help that she was noticeable older than the rest of the group and her costume wasn't great either. i loved her kid though, she was really cute (apparently, the gender of the kid changes depending on the child actor that day, here it was a girl). The child also connects the group, there were some cute found family vibes (although they could have done so much more with this ahhh). there are also several moments where the child symbolizes a brighter future to come, and hope, and innocence. she was such a cutie!!!!

This Jesus is a weirdo. Just a weird guy. Kinda Enjolras vibes, kinda angelic, kinda high as a kite beliefs in magic, depressed queer vibes. He would sometimes do weird motions with his hands to summon his powers to heal people????? his outfit was a statement as well.

I liked the acting, although the interpretation is one i had not seen before. The singing was pretty good, although the actors voice was a bit weak sometimes and he often had difficulty with belting higher notes. the actor has a very very soft voice in general??? it kinda contributed to the vibes of this jesus though and worked fine

I didn't like that they actually showed him being able to heal people, I like it more when it stays ambigious if he can actually do wonders/if he is actually the son of god. Interestingly, at the same time this Jesus felt very deserted by God to me? Gethsemane was very intense but also so absolutely defeated. it did not feel like a conversation with god but more pure desperation screamed into a void... This Jesus was really broken :( Also, the torture and whipping (which happens in the vatican???? kinda illegally???) was absolutely brutal and very bloody and he was sobbing in fetal position at several points of this production. also shaking like a little deer. in the last scenes, they filmed close-ups of his tortured face with a camera live and projected it on the large background screen which was very horrifiying and genius, especially during superstar. poor guy. he seemed very sad and burdened a lot of the time

Judas: There he is!!! My boi!!!! He was my absolute fave. The acting and singing was amazing, one of my fav interpretations of this character. The costume choices for him were amazing ( I mean look at him in that skirt and these boots) and this production chose to portray him in a very sympathetic light. He is the soul of the group in this production, while Jesus is the brain and Simon is the heart. (Peter is the bedrock, and Mary and her kid are honey-grease holding them together)

I mean, look at him!!! This judas cares so much, he contains multitudes. He is clearly loved by the people around and loves them back fiercely. He hugged people a lot and was very physical in general and the actor had so much charisma!!! In this version, Jesus and Judas also kind of seemed like two sides of the same coin, which I really liked. While Jesus is kind of otherworldy, charismatic, calm, and enigmatic, Judas is much more hands-on, real, passionate and energetic.

This Judas (like the whole production really) was very angry but he had every right to. In this production it also seemed like his anger at Mary and Jesus being with her was less about Mary (taking out some of the misogyny, luckily) and more about jesus retreating to something that could be perceived as a bourgouise lifestyle (my interpretation, at least). This judas seemed very queer but then again, most apostels in this production seemed to be queer. (The betrayal kiss was very passionate, btw)

Oh, and the cardinals waterboarded Judas with holy water in a church on wooden benches they put together??? And they also threatened and hurt him several other times??? I'm not sure what to feel about this because this makes the betrayal very very cooerced and that might flatten the character but it adds so many new layers as well. They also just push suitcase full of money on his arms and leave him there clutching the thing and sobbing??

Judas death ripped my heart out, it was so raw and cruel and also put emphasis on the cruelty of the catholic church and an uncaring or even cruel god?

and then he absolutely slayed in superstar. all the background dancers were the apostels (which was a deliberate choice because they had a huge cast they could have used for this), including Mary and they all had neon halos?? Judas descended from the ceiling. the staging was kinda similar to the 2012 revival with Judas as a show-caster and entertainer. there was golden glitter falling from the ceiling.

the whole production seemed very angry at institutionalized christianity and God himself but also full of hope and love, and superstar really examplified that.

Herode is the pope. Just straight up the pope. At first I was a bit underwhelmed because the set was very minimal bit then they revealed the pope and started their amazing choreography and I really loved that! just a good solid portrayal, very sexual as well. (this production was very much about hypocricy and not about condemming lust, the opposite really. this production is pretty sex-positive) 8/10

Caiaphas and Annas were pretty solid, like all the other high priests they were cardinals. I thought the actors did a good job although would have liked a deeper base for Caiaphas and a higher tenor for Annas. I thought it was interesting how often the priests/cardinals crossed themselves and blessed people and did christian gestures, especially during "This Jesus must die". They were also pretty violent both towards the apostels and towards jesus and judas.

Peter was really giving dark academia vibes except a bit more boring. I thought it was pretty funny that it was easy to tell that he was Peter just from the costume alone. he had a nice, warm voice and I liked the acting choices - he was very soft and calm, except for when he went absolutely wild on the SWAT team coming to arrest Jesus and broke a bottle to use a shard to cut of the ear (i suppose) of one of them. iconic. 8/10

Simon: what an icon! at one point, he carries petrol and a lighter around to fucking burn the whole thing to the ground. he is passionate and kind and ready to punch someone at any time. his acting and singing were really really good. At the last supper, Simon sucker punches Judas in the face and calls him a "fucking traitor" before shakily ending the song on his guitar to try and comfort the other apostels because their whole world just fell apart. I really love this Simon

Pilate: He had such a great voice and presence, and carried himself with a lot of gravitas. Pilates dream was very stripped down but it worked because of the actor. He seemed really desillusioned and kind but ultimately deafeated, conforming to the will of people around him (lower clergy and devout catholics in this version) (That reminds me, the ouverture was accompanied by various clergy making out in the vatican with each other while headlines about scandals in the church were projected in the background.

There are probably a lot of things I forgot to mention, and there were also some things I did not like about this production but overall, I am really really impressed and just happy that I got to see it live.

You can still see the production too btw, at least if you can make it to Nuremberg :)

[cahirsmommy]

#OutInChurch

https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2022/01/kirche-katholiken-queer-berlin-religion.html

https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/katholische-kirche-queer-101.html

https://www.dw.com/en/german-catholic-priests-come-out-as-queer-demand-reform/a-60531857

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZFhH2vLPxd/?utm_medium=copy_link

[nerdygaymormon]

I’m very impressed at the courage of these German Catholics, they put themselves at risk to demand a better way.

“LGBTIQ+ people, whether living alone or in a relationship, are blessed by God.”

“The #OutInChurch initiative demands ... to change the church’s labor law in such a way that a life in accordance with one’s own sexual orientation and gender identity, also in a partnership or civil marriage, does not lead to exclusion from tasks and offices nor to dismissal.”

“I would like to welcome this on behalf of the German Bishops’ Conference as a sign that we are working to ensure that such a climate of freedom from fear must prevail and arise in our church,” Aachen Bishop Helmut Dieser said on the sidelines of consultations of the Bishops’ Conference Permanent Council in Würzburg. No one, he said, should be discriminated against, devalued or criminalized because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

[alligatorius]

In der Katholischen Kirche 

Der institutionelle Mangel frisst alle Funktionäre auf, erst das geweihte Fachpersonal und schließlich auch die zur Rettung herbeigerufenen Laien.  Ein korrupter Kegelclub mit Wahrheits- und Ewigkeitsanspruch entlarvt sich in der Demokratie mit den Jahren selbst … Niemand braucht Institutionen, die für alle Zeiten auf die Demokratie pfeifen und stattdessen Gottes Wort zurechttreten, wie es ihnen…

[bagdyernoke]

Élet+Stílus: Coming outolt a katolikus egyház 125 alkalmazottja Németországban | hvg.hu

#OutInChurch

[jade-cooper]

125 employees of the Catholic Church come out as queer. In the exclusive ARD documentary, believers in the service of the Catholic Church in Germany dare to go public together. People who identify as non-heterosexual talk about fighting for their church - sometimes at the risk of losing their jobs as a result. There are priests, religious brothers, parish assistants, diocese employees, religion teachers, kindergarten teachers, social workers and many more who report intimidation, denunciations, deep injuries, decades of hide and seek and double lives. The Catholics report a system in which pressure, fear and arbitrariness leave employees uncertain as to what exactly happens when they stand by their sexual orientation or identity. The investigative documentary listens to those who live their faith every day and are nevertheless degraded by the church as an institution.        (source IMDB)

#OutInChurch

[wundertree]

OK. Ich sehe euch, ich höre euch, ich glaube an euch. Ihr seid unglaublich mutig und macht die Welt ein Stück besser!

https://chng.it/MBqn2bvhHf (Die dazugehörige Petition.)

[neco117]

#OutInChurch: Mitarbeiter der katholischen Kirche outen sich als queer - Gesellschaft - SZ.de

[sakrumverum]

Reformen vorantreiben mit Tempo, Druck auf die Amtskirche und zur Not für den Preis einer Spaltung — das war der Tenor der Veranstaltung „Kirche kann bunt. Mit Vielfalt gewinnen. #OutInChurch“. https://www.die-tagespost.de/kirche/aktuell/was-ist-am-fleckenteppich-so-schlimm-art-229058

[cathnews]

German bishop commits to not dismissing LGBTQ church workers

German bishop commits to not dismissing LGBTQ church workers

A German bishop has issued a written commitment saying church workers will not be dismissed if they are LGBTQ. Archbishop Franz Jung of Würzburg has publicly declared that priests and other workers in his diocese should not fear any consequences for their sexual orientation. Jung’s declaration came in the wake of the OutInChurch initiative and the Synodal Way’s third assembly last week. Both of…

[ruhrkanalnews]

BISCHOF OVERBECK: "KULTUR DER ANGST ÜBERWINDEN"

#OutInChurch stellt die Loyalitätsobliegenheiten infrage, mit denen kirchliche Lehren zur Sexual- und Beziehungsmoral zu einem wesentlichen Maßstab für den Dienst in der katholischen Kirche erhoben werden.

Essen- Ruhrbischof Franz-Josef Overbeck hat in einem Brief an rund 3800 Kirchenbeschäftigte und Religionslehrerinnen und -lehrer heute bekräftigt, dass im Ruhrbistum kein Beschäftigter wegen seines Beziehungslebens oder seiner sexuellen Orientierung berufliche Schwierigkeiten bekommt. Im offenen Brief ist u.a. zu lesen: “Wir danken Ihnen allen mit diesem Schreiben ausdrücklich für Ihren Dienst…

[lucifer-hot-as-hell]

Quer ist das Gegenteil von straight

Wahrscheinlich bin ich der einzige Mensch, der in der Unfähigkeit deutscher Journalist*innen u.ä. queer richtig auszusprechen ein Wortspiel sieht...

Naja, wo wenn nicht auf Tumblr kann ich sowas loswerden.

[eiskristallsdiary]

I really hate how some people I studied with are acting super woke on instagram at the moment, reposting stuff about outings of people who work for the Catholic church.

I mean, it's great to spread information against homophobia. But the people it's coming from... Just doesn't seem authentic to me at all.

[hummussexual]

The Roman Catholic Church in Germany on Sunday faced renewed calls for better protection of LGBTQ rights and an end to institutional discrimination against queer people.

Around 125 people, including former and current priests, teachers, church administrators and volunteers, identified themselves as gay and queer, asking the church to take into account their demands and do away with "outdated statements of church doctrine" when it comes to sexuality and gender.

The members of the church community published seven demands on social media under the "OutInChurch" initiative. These demands range from queer people saying they should be able to live without fear and have access to all kinds of activities and occupations in the church without discrimination.

View this post on Instagram

They said their sexual orientation must never be considered a breach of loyalty or reason for dismissal from their occupation. They ask the church to revise its statements on sexuality based on "theological and human-scientific findings."

Besides asking for equal rights, employees also put down demands that the church takes accountability for their discrimination against people of the community throughout history, calling on the bishop to take responsibility on behalf of the church.

What has been the Vatican's stance?

The Vatican, home of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, ruled last year that priests cannot bless same-sex unions and that such blessings weren't valid.

But the ruling also reignited a debate on the matter, and there was considerable resistance against it in some parts of Germany.

Last year, at least two bishops in Germany, including Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, one of the pope's top advisers, showed some support for a kind of "pastoral" blessing for same-sex unions.

In Germany and the United States, parishes and ministers also began blessing same-sex unions in lieu of marriage, with growing calls for bishops to institutionalize gay marriage.

However, in response to formal questions from a number of dioceses on whether the practice was allowed, the Vatican's doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) made clear it wasn't, ruling: "negative."

Pope Francis approved the response, adding that it was "not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite" of the sacrament of marriage.