Protests in the Freiburg Münster: Böhmann's termination remains!

In the Freiburg Münster there was an unexpected protest during the Christmas mass on Christmas Eve. Supporter of the dismissed cathedral conductor Boris Böhmann showed their solidarity with a five -minute applause. This unexpected event meant that Archbishop Stephan Burger had to interrupt the service while the live stream was canceled. Parents' representatives of the cathedral singing rejected the criticism of the applause and in an open letter demanded the withdrawal of Böhmann's termination.

The focus of the conflict is the termination of Boris Böhmann, which was already pronounced in the summer and will be effective at the end of February 2025. So far, the archdiocese has not given any reasons for the termination, but refers to a long history with conflicts within the cathedral singing school. The termination remains despite the protests and an online petition for Böhmann. According to the diocese, these actions cannot change the Situation. Böhmann, who was appointed as a cathedral conductor in 2003, moved against the dismissal before a labor court.

reactions and future steps

The Archdiocese of Freiburg has reacted to the incidents and is planning talks with representatives of the cathedral choirs. A conversation is scheduled for January 15, 2025, at the urging of the parents' representatives. The archdiocese criticizes the disorders during the service as an unsuitable form of protest. The search for a new cathedral conductor is scheduled to begin in spring 2025, whereby the tender can be published after March 1, 2025 at the earliest.

In the meantime, other forms of protest also took place. At the beginning of December, 30 choirs organized a musical flash mob on Münsterplatz, supported by an online petition for Böhmann's whereabouts. Nevertheless, the archdiocese remains that the termination is still valid. According to blogger Eindhoven, reported that despite the protests, the situation had not changed and the planning for the successor of Böhmann has already been promoted.

Die Tagesschau reported on the background and the developments related to the background.

In addition, the WDR stated that the termination of Boris Böhmann remains up to date despite multiple protests and creative actions.