Controversy surrounding concerts in churches
A concert by the Fricktal Chamber Choir in a local Catholic church is not taking place because the priest has asked for proof of the choir conductor's church affiliation. The procedure provoked a discussion about the conditions for concerts in church halls.
According to a report in the "Aargauer Zeitung", the Catholic priest Thomas Sidler asked the conductor Urs Stäuble to send him confirmation of a church affiliation so that the reservation for the concert could be made properly. Stäuble, who had previously left the church, therefore withdrew the church reservation and explained that he did not want to discuss the matter with an "enemy of the free spirit".
In the article, Markus Schmid, President of the Roman Catholic church council in Frick, signals understanding for the pastor's request. He considers it problematic, to say the least, when people leave the church but still want to benefit from its infrastructure.
In an online commentary, Sidler asks whether it is right to perform in the church after having clearly distanced oneself from using the church's infrastructure and not supporting it financially, as well as "conducting musical masterpieces that were made possible in the first place thanks to the church, and at the same time renouncing the same church".
Original article:
www.aargauerzeitung.ch/aargau/fricktal/der-kammerchor-fuehlt-sich-in-der-katholischen-kirche-frick-unerwuenscht-127083962
