German diocese reacts to backlash over ARD’s Christmas Eve broadcast featuring a provocative nativity installation in Stuttgart.
Newsroom (13/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) When the Christmas Eve broadcast from St. Mary’s Church in Stuttgart aired live on national television, few could have anticipated the uproar that followed. What was meant to be a modern reflection on the human side of divinity instead became one of the most criticized religious broadcasts in recent memory.
At the center of the controversy was a performance art installation by Milena Lorek. During the televised Mass on ARD, viewers saw a person wrapped in wet rice paper, writhing on a bed of straw, positioned in front of SWR radio pastor Thomas Steiger and pastoral assistant Katharina Leser. The artist had conceived the piece specifically for the service, intended as a stark representation of vulnerability and incarnation. However, many saw something else entirely. The tabloid Bild christened it the “slime Jesus,” and outrage quickly spilled across social media and into inboxes across Germany.
Public Outcry and Church Response
According to the Southwest Broadcasting Corporation (SWR), roughly 1,400 viewers filed written complaints, many arguing that the artwork desecrated the sacred nature of the nativity. Even the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart could not ignore the backlash. On Monday, it released a formally worded but clearly disapproving statement to the Catholic News Agency (KNA).
“The reactions to the broadcast have shown that religious sensibilities were offended,” the diocese declared. While it insisted that “no provocation or denigration of the faith was intended,” it criticized the conceptual choices that had led to “irritation, incomprehension, and anger among many people – especially on a major feast day like Christmas.”
The statement also pointed to “deviations from the established liturgical order,” suggesting that the broadcast had blurred the line between creative freedom and ecclesiastical protocol. As a corrective measure, Church officials announced that future televised services would be subject to stricter approval processes. “Voting and decision-making procedures will be made more stringent,” the diocese said, emphasizing the need to balance artistic expression with respect for the sacred.
Artistic Intention vs. Offended Faith
Pastor Thomas Steiger, who led the service, defended the installation’s symbolism. He explained that the scene aimed to reveal the radical humanity of the incarnation: “The nativity scene shows a real human being. He lies there, wretched, naked, and exposed. This is how radically God becomes human—close, tangible, without distance, real.”
Yet the nuance of the theological concept was lost in translation for many faithful viewers. To them, the imagery felt alien, even blasphemous, particularly in the context of a televised Christmas celebration meant for a general audience.
SWR’s Regret and Aftermath
SWR, which co-produced the broadcast through its Catholic broadcasting unit, quickly struck a conciliatory tone. A spokesperson told KNA that the network “deeply regrets that the Christmas Eve service was met with disapproval and that people felt their faith was offended as a result.” She confirmed the volume of public reaction, noting that “around 1,400 emails” had been received through an online form and that “all of them critically examined the issue.”
Even for Germany, where public theological debate often intersects with art, the scale of reaction was notable. The case touches on a recurring cultural fault line in Europe’s discussion about how faith can—or should—be represented in contemporary media.
For the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, the incident serves as both a warning and a catalyst. Future broadcasts, it insists, must embody reverence not just in content but also in perception. In other words, the Church isn’t closing its door to art—but it is making sure that next time, Christmas feels like Christmas.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from katholisch.de
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