German church’s televised ‘slime Jesus’ infuriates the faithful

The Guardian - World NewsEN 3 min read 100% complete by Deborah Cole in BerlinJanuary 13, 2026 at 03:25 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

A televised Christmas Eve mass from St Mary's in Stuttgart, Germany, featuring a performance artist covered in rice paper as "slime Jesus," has sparked controversy. The broadcast on ARD showed the actor in a manger, intended to represent the vulnerability of the newborn Christ. The Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese has distanced itself from the service, acknowledging that the performance hurt religious feelings. Right-wing media and viewers criticized the scene as disrespectful and bizarre, with some calling it "sick and twisted." The regional public broadcaster SWR received over 1,000 complaints. Local politicians also condemned the performance as an example of artistic freedom gone too far.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Friedrich Merz 40% Klaus Krämer 40% Klaus Nopper 40% Eleni Sismanidou 50% Bild 50% St Mary's 60% Milena Lorek ×260% Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese ×270% SWR ×370% ARD ×370% Thomas Steiger ×280% Germany 90%

Keywords

slime jesus 100% christmas eve mass 90% religious controversy 80% artistic freedom 70% catholic church 60% public broadcasting 50% germany 40% vernix 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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