Cologne: Carnival star criticizes Jesus motif on abuse float

The carnival float with a Jesus reference to the topic of abuse continues to stir up emotions in the Rhineland. Now even a well-known carnival speaker is calling for changes.

The Rhineland carnival speaker Marc Metzger has called for changes to a float critical of the church in this year's Cologne Rose Monday parade. "The abuse float in the Rose Monday parade is justified. But the lettering with Jesus is wrong. I would change the slogan," Domradio quotes the comedian, known as the clown character "Dä Blötschkopp", on his website.

For the professed Catholic, the statement "Jesus loves you" has a fundamentally positive connotation. He finds it inappropriate to link this message with abuse.

The Advisory Board for Victims in the Archdiocese of Cologne joined in the criticism. "The fact that the issue is being 'processed' in this way is another abuse of our injuries," it said in a statement.

Priest and abuse victim Wolfgang Rothe, a member of the Advisory Council for Victims at the German Bishops' Conference, sees things differently: "The specific motive puts the finger on the sore spot. It makes it clear that spiritual abuse very often occurs before sexual abuse."

Despite ongoing criticism from the church and politicians, the float is to take part in the Cologne Rose Monday parade. "We are also religious people. We do not want to denigrate Jesus," explained a spokesman for the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee.