BDSM Group gets a stand at German National Catholic Congress
Sadomasochism at the Catholic Congress: BDSM Group gets a stand on the Church Mile
The "Ecumenical Working Group on BDSM and Christianity" is also represented at the German Catholic Congress in Würzburg. The group deals with "sadomasochistic sexual preferences" from a Christian perspective. As early as 2025, the Evangelical Newspaper reported favorably on them – including bondage and polyamory within the church community.
The 104th German Catholic Congress is taking place in Würzburg this year. From May 13th to 17th, believers, church groups, associations, and initiatives will gather there. There will be church services, discussions, political debates, a cultural program – and a large church mile.
Among them is a group one wouldn't necessarily expect to find amidst the Rosary, Caritas, and Bible stands: the "Ecumenical Working Group on BDSM and Christianity." According to their own information, the working group will be represented in Würzburg from May 14th to 16th with booth number MW-R-07.
"A Christian at heart – and a BDSM practitioner"
That this isn't a one-off occurrence is evident from a look back. As early as 2025, the Protestant newspaper reported on the working group at the Kirchentag (German Protestant Church Assembly) – under the headline: "BDSM and Bondage – That, too, belongs to the Church."
In the article, a representative of the working group explained: She is "a Christian at heart, but also a BDSM practitioner at heart." The article also described the setting: Gay men and lesbians stood opposite the church, and next to them was the network "Polyamorous People and the Church." A representative of this network said about her lifestyle: "I have a husband who is here with the child and another husband who is currently on a military training exercise."
One rubs one's eyes in disbelief. But yes: This was a church convention.
Church packaging
What's particularly noteworthy is not only that such groups are present. What's remarkable is the language used to give the whole thing a religious veneer.
According to the Evangelical newspaper, a representative of the polyamory network said that God is "the epitome of polyamory," since he loves all people. Ultimately, it's about "loving one another and standing up for each other." That sounds harmless—but with a few soft words, a very concrete sexual and relationship-related lifestyle is suddenly transformed into a theological concern. A little love and care—and there you have the church's packaging.
Bondage, dominance, pleasure in pain
The Working Group's website explains what BDSM means. It's a collective term. "BD" stands for "Bondage & Discipline," meaning tying and being tied up. "DS" means "Dominance and Submission," an erotic power dynamic. "SM" stands for sadomasochism—that is, pleasure in pain and inflicting pain on others.
The working group emphasizes the aspect of consent. Legally, this is crucial. However, from a religious and cultural perspective, it raises many questions, such as why a major Catholic event needs a dedicated booth for this on the church mile.
Catholic profile?
All of this is also given a religious interpretation. A representative of the working group told the Evangelical newspaper: "For us, it's about trust, letting go, humility, kneeling—I see quite a few parallels to the Christian faith." Sadomasochism – a sexual preference – as an expression of Christian piety?
Also represented at the Church Mile is the "Network of Catholic Lesbians." This group describes itself as a "spiritually independent, diverse network of women who love women, influenced by both Catholic and feminist perspectives."
Where does that leave the Catholic identity?
Everything is accompanied – only doctrine seems disruptive.
For those who follow Catholic doctrine, it provides guidance amidst all trends and social upheavals. Today, however, it seems different in some church circles. Almost every lifestyle, every sexual identity, every preference can apparently be theologically softened. The result is a Catholicism that offers less and less resistance – and therefore says less and less.
A BDSM stand at the Catholic Congress is therefore less a symbol of open-mindedness than of the Church's self-dissolution.
Over to the German Bishops Conference to stop this nonsense.
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