German anti-pope protesters challenge Berlin venue ruling
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(The sun sets behind the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, March 19, 2009S/Fabrizio Bensch)
The German-born pontiff will begin his Sept. 22-25 German tour in Berlin before continuing to Erfurt and Freiburg. Anti-Pope rallies are expected in all three cities, where many are unhappy about his conservative views on birth control, abortion and the rights of homosexuals.
A Berlin alliance of 54 groups, led by the German Gay and Lesbian Association (LSVD), wants to stage its rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate — about 300 meters from the parliament building where the Pope will speak. The organisers expect about 20,000 demonstrators to take to the streets.
“It must be possible to hold a peaceful demonstration within ear-shot of the Bundestag,” said LSVD director Joerg Steinert. The association has spoken out against the decision to allow the Pope to speak in the Bundestag.
Whereas thousands of demonstrators marched in Madrid earlier this month against the cost of the Pope’s visit, the German protests are chiefly aimed at the Vatican’s conservative views, organisers said. Local officials rejected their application but offered two alternative sites further away from the government quarter.
“We’re going to fight to be able to hold the rally there,” said Pascal Ferro, a spokesman for the LSVD. He said they had not given up hope of holding the rally at the Brandenburg Gate, which has become a symbol of German unity after being surrounded by the Berlin Wall during the Cold War.
Read the full story by Natalia Drozdiak here.
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The gay right brigades are again showing their hatred of anyone who is in disagreement with gay parenting. Unfortunately for them, the Roman Catholic Church will always be there. It survived the communist atheism, it will survive aggressive secularism.