03.12.2019, 09:44

Dear supporters of our petition,

On Friday, 29.11.2019, the article "Anger for Cross in the City Church" has been published in the German newspaper "Rheinische Post". In this article, Fr. Simonsen, the pastor of the City Church, explains that the Corpus on the cross in the City Church is not a pig, but the "Lamb of God."

"In reality, an artificial body in the form of a lamb hangs on the cross. The shape is covered with a prepared skin and blood-soaked gauze bandages." (Rheinische Post, Mönchengladbach Kompakt, Friday, 29.11.2019)

It is regrettable that this clarification had to be made through the media and not in a personal conversation, as both Fr. Simonsen and em. dean Fr. Cremer refused to clarify this situation in personal. Unfortunately, the willingness to talk is missing here.

The Catholic Church is ill-advised to use such "contemporary art" to convey the faith. Axel Vater's cross is an atrocious example of the level at which this type of art can fall. I urge the responsible of our City Church to give information about this provocative art to its visitors, so that it does not come back to misleading information such as "Jesus was a poor pig".

They try to bring critical voices into a right-wing political corner, to defame and exclude them in order to silence them. It is significant that, for our Church’s ministers, faith and piety are no longer categories, but political schemata. I do not understand this reproach at all. What does the love of God have to do with a political orientation? In general, I've never met anyone in the Church who has voiced far-right political slogans. I do not refer to politics. I refer to the infinite insult done to our Lord Jesus Christ. As I said, this has nothing to do with political orientation. I do not call for violence, I threatened no one, I did not chant slogans. With my name, I clearly made a public statement against this contemporary art object. They must also let a young woman say this "work of art" leads to significantly more harm than it does good. They cannot label and stigmatize this as right wing.

Furthermore, this art object can still be interpreted as a "soulless" animal. Even if it is supposed to be a lamb, in no way it can be put on a par with Jesus Christ our Lord. However, the petition acknowledges the late clarification by Fr. Simonsen that our petition is withdrawn.

Nevertheless, we thank the more than 700 signers, who have indicated by their vote that artistic freedom should recognize limits.
Your signatures have helped to clarify, even if this result leaves an unpleasant taste.

Praise be to Jesus Christ! – For evermore. Amen!

Christine M. Oellers

30.11.2019, 18:35

After several weeks we have now been informed through an external person that the cross in the City Church, is not an actual animal carcass, but an object that is covered with "plastic skin".

We therefore distance ourselves from the misinformation that the cross in the City Church, would be an actual animal carcass. Since we have not received any further information on the nature of the material on request, we have so far assumed that this object would be a real carcass.

Our petition runs until February. If you turn to Pastor Simonsen, our parish or our diocese, we kindly ask you for a friendly but definite tone. Please do not use any insults or threats! We emphasize that this is not desired by us.
We only wish and ask for the removal of this cross from the public interior of our church.

Thank you and God bless you for your efforts!

Christine Maria Oellers


Neuer Titel: Pig Plastic carcass on the cross instead of corpus
Christ corpus | City Church Mönchengladbach Germany


Neuer Petitionstext: Since the end of September 2019 Father Christoph Simonsen exhibits a cross with a that looks like an animal carcass is fixed pig carcass, on it, headless with 4 limbs, instead of the holy Christ corpus in his office of the City Church Alter Markt Moenchengladbach (Germany).
The disfigured cross is publicly visible - just behind the Father's office chair and separated from the interior of the church only by a glass door.
This apparently highly blasphemous representation of the cross-suffering God and Lord Jesus Christ has already provoked uprising among many Catholics. Neither Father Simonsen nor the Diocese of Aachen spoke out against this cross representation - on the contrary, this representation was appreciated as an object of art that was "valuable and indispensable" and would lead to "deep and reflected discussions of faith" with visitors. Statements were rejected by all contacted persons.
The diocese refuses dialogue and our bishop even seeks to protect these representations under a special concept of art!!
The permission of public blasphemous works of art in our diocese must be stopped. We appeal to our bishop Dr. Helmut Dieser, to exercise his ministry and to remove at once this shameful art and insult to God!
Therefore we ask for your signature on openpetition or by post (documents & address here: christus-rex.de)
Thank you and God bless you for your efforts!!


Neue Begründung: This abominable portrayal of the cross is deeply offense to God and to many faithful Catholics, as well as a spiritual threat for visitors of the city church in monchengladbach to lose faith.
A cross with a disfigured pig skull on the cross plastic carcass is a great, unprecedented, blasphemy and does not belong in the holy interior of a church. That is why we ask the Bishop of Aachen, Dr. Helmut Dieser, to let this “abomination that causes desolation“ not be recognized as art, but to be removed from our church!

Unterschriften zum Zeitpunkt der Änderung: 712