Archdiocese of Cologne: Church judge Gero P. Weishaupt outraged with Goebbels comparison

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Cologne Cathedral (symbolic image): Church judge Gero P. Weishaupt triggers outrage in the archdiocese

Photo: Christoph Hardt / imago images/Future Image

Church judge Gero P. Weishaupt from the Archdiocese of Cologne triggered outrage with a Goebbels comparison – and after protests distanced himself from his statements.

»In a Facebook entry I described ›Domradio‹ as a ›propaganda organ‹ that conducts propaganda and wrote: ›Goebbels sends his regards‹«, it says in a Facebook entry.

"I hereby expressly declare that I have made a completely inappropriate comparison that in no way applies to Domradio's journalistic work."

Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels was one of the main people responsible for the crimes of National Socialism.

Cologne Cathedral Radio, which belongs to the Archdiocese of Cologne, published a critical report by the KNA news agency on its website and shared the link on Facebook.

The KNA report deals with the "unclear" financing of a project by Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne.

Under this post, in turn, the very conservative church judge Weishaupt wrote his commentary on the Goebbels comparison.

Sharp criticism of Weishaupt

Editor-in-chief Ingo Brüggenjürgen informed the German Press Agency on request that in the case in question the Domradio had published a well-researched report by the KNA on the open questions regarding the financing of the Cologne University of Catholic Theology.

“You can find that good or bad and comment accordingly.

A comparison with Goebbels' Nazi propaganda is out of the question.

A diocesan magistrate of an archdiocese should know that.«

The vicar general of the diocese of Essen, Klaus Pfeffer, wrote on Facebook that it was nothing new when "right-wing Catholic circles" agitated against people who had a different opinion with great aggressiveness and nasty personal attacks.

“However, the fact that a priest and church judge attacked Cologne Cathedral Radio and its employees with a Nazi comparison is completely unacceptable.

Such terrible lapses must be clearly and unequivocally contradicted!«

The city dean of Bonn, Wolfgang Picken, called on the current representative of Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Steinhäuser, in a statement to publicly admonish the priest and to distance himself personally from his statements.

When asked whether Weishaupt would remain a church judge despite his comment, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Cologne replied that talks had taken place with the priest.

"We have no further knowledge of their contents."

ptz/dpa