Post by M. Hawbaker on Jul 7, 2019 20:21:32 GMT
A Roman Catholic priest in Germany is facing backlash over a sermon urging parishioners to forgive pedophile priests.
About 70 parishioners stormed out of Holy Spirit Church of Münster in northwest Germany on Sunday, after realizing what exactly the Rev. Ulrich Zurkuhlen was asking them to do, Deutsche Welle reported.
The retired, 79-year-old priest was apparently attempting to preach about the importance of forgiveness in Christianity, using examples from the Bible to insist that pedophile priests deserve to be forgiven, too.
About 70 parishioners stormed out of Holy Spirit Church of Münster in northwest Germany on Sunday, after realizing what exactly the Rev. Ulrich Zurkuhlen was asking them to do, Deutsche Welle reported.
The retired, 79-year-old priest was apparently attempting to preach about the importance of forgiveness in Christianity, using examples from the Bible to insist that pedophile priests deserve to be forgiven, too.
Zurkuhlen’s words did not sit well with parishioners, some of whom were reportedly victims of clerical abuse themselves. Members of the congregation started arguing with Zurkuhlen while he was preaching. The situation escalated quickly, which led to a crowd of angry parishioners walking out.
