A Catholic parish in western Germany is facing opposition after promoting what it has described as a “Harry Potter ecumenical service” to be held inside a consecrated church later this month, prompting a conservative Catholic group to launch a campaign calling for the event to be cancelled.
The event is scheduled for 28 February at 5pm at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Herne and has been advertised online as an ecumenical service drawing on imagery from the popular Harry Potter book series. Promotional material circulated by the parish invites “fans and Hogwarts newcomers” to gather for an evening “among candles, light and darkness” in which “hope takes shape”, with references to butterbeer, house colours and “magical attire” alongside the use of the church’s entrance hall and nave.
