Attempts to Cancel Faith Conference in Munich
From June 20 to 23 the Christian ecumenical conference UNUM24 took place in Munich. Despite the fact that it was a prayer meeting, focussing on common worship and faith, and the organisers highlighted that it was "not a platform for political or social disputes", demonstrations by LGBTIQ activists demanded the cancellation of the event as the Christians participating in the event were assumed to be "anti-LGBTIQ rights". The Third Mayor of the City of Munich, Verena Dietl, from the Social Democrats, even called the event a meeting of "different fundamentally Christian LGBTIQ* hostile actors" and expressed her regrets that she did not have any legal possibility to prevent the event.
Among the speakers announced for the conference were Christians from all different denominations including a Lutheran and a Catholic Bishop, pastors from Guatemala, Uganda and Sudan, leaders of humanitarian projects and the leader of the charismatic Bethel church, Bill Johnson, whose presence at the event seems to have started the protests. The goal of the conference was to foster unity between the different Christian denominations and pray for Europe.
Some media also falsely reported that believers would be exploited for money during the Conference.
The organisers reject the claim that the meeting was deliberately placed on the same weekend as the Christopher Street Day and underlined: "We are pleased that the city of Munich is a cosmopolitan city and at the same time can host such a wide range of events."
Sources: Imago, CSD Munchen, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Pro, Queer, Katholisch, Deutschlandfunk, Idea
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