Former Jesuit Pope of Amsterdam is dead

'Pope of Amsterdam' Huub Oosterhuis (89) passed away

Renowned theologian and former priest Huub Oosterhuis died on Easter Sunday at the age of 89. This was reported by the family and the Bishop of Haarlem.

The Pope preaching in 1969 before being suspended

Oosterhuis was known as an innovator of the Catholic faith. He had thousands of followers, particularly in his hometown of Amsterdam, but was suspended as a priest in 1970 for fighting against compulsory celibacy. He married and had two children: artists Trijntje and Tjeerd Oosterhuis.

His children's love of music is no stranger to him. Huub Oosterhuis himself introduced Dutch-language songs for church, with pop music influences. His work had a great influence on the renewal of customs in the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands. He created many poems and his music was on the repertoire of most parishes.

Do you know me

He later wrote many songs that Trijntje sang in her theatre shows. Trijntje and her father are known to have had a close relationship. On the occasion of his 85th birthday, she sang his songs for an evening at Carré in November 2019. This did not include Ken je mij, the song that became a hit in 2008 and Oosterhuis wrote when Trijntje was three months old. She happened to use the song on Sunday to promote an Easter concert at the Dominicus Church in Amsterdam.

Trijntje and Tjeerd Oosterhuis are grateful for the inspiration and love they received from their father, Huub Oosterhuis. They state this in a brief response to his death. "Despite the great sadness, our hearts are filled with love and gratitude for all the beautiful moments we received from our inspiring and loving father," say singer Trijntje and composer/producer Tjeerd.

Huub Oosterhuis was known as a beloved poet and he stood at the cradle of four major cultural centres in Amsterdam: de Balie, Rode Hoed, De Nieuwe Liefde and de Populier. He was a close friend of the royal family, including being allowed to speak at Prince Claus' funeral in 2002. His relationship with then Queen Beatrix was put to the test when he told in 2011 that the queen was "heavily censored" by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in her Christmas speech. He should not have brought that out, he himself said afterwards. He called it 'a bit stupid'.

Pope of Amsterdam

Oosterhuis remained committed to a renewed faith throughout his life. In a biography published on the occasion of his 80th birthday, he was referred to as 'Pope of Amsterdam'.

'Of course I regret that at the time he went down paths that led to alienation from the Catholic Church and its leadership, without incidentally ever leaving the Catholic Church,' Bishop Jan Hendriks stated early Monday morning in his In Memoriam. 'Without wishing to belittle the difficulties that my predecessors in the episcopate of Haarlem had with him, I would like to acknowledge that an extraordinary and talented person with special merits for liturgical and biblical poetry and music, with commitment to social issues, for whom the Bible was the starting point of thought and action, has passed away from us. May he rest in peace.

(Cathcon: He led a schismatic parish for decades, as the Bishop will well know.)

Reactions to Oosterhuis' death are also coming from other quarters. Such as from European Commissioner Frans Timmermans: 'Huub Oosterhuis taught us that there are more questions than answers, that every answer raises new questions. Humanity was paramount with him. From our fallibility we try to transcend our shortcomings, for ourselves and for others. Rest in peace, wise teacher.'

Extra TV broadcast

KRO-NCRV will broadcast an In Memoriam on theologian and poet Huub Oosterhuis on Monday evening. The broadcaster announced this on Monday. The broadcast consists of a compilation of fragments of Oosterhuis from various KRO-NCRV programmes where he was a guest in recent years. The In Memoriam will be broadcast twice: at 23.05 on NPO2 and at 23.40 on NPO1.

Source

Cathcon:  His life, inspired by the morally evil Che Guevara, stands as a warning to where the Church will be taken along the Synodal Path. From outside the Church, he corrupted the liturgy within. His sentimentalist repertoire includes the stinker, "Heer, als U bestaat, kom dan onder ons" ("Lord, if You exist, come amongst us"). He was the Dutch Dan Schutte.  That he was called Pope shows what a malign influence he had.