Reactions to outcome of the Latzel case: Applause and anger

"This trial should never have been started in the first place", Achim Niederbrünning, a member of the Martini church in Bremen, thinks. "Pastor Latzel merely explained at his marriage seminar what the Biblical view of gender and homosexuality is. In doing so, he did nothing wrong and is not worthy of punishment."

Kurt Gödecke, also a member of the Martini Church, has mixed feelings about the outcome of the case as well. Gödecke tried to make a statement on behalf of Internationale Organisation Völkerrecht (IOV) at the start of the court session, in the courtroom, but was taken away from the court by security officials after speaking a few sentences.

The activist: "I don't know if I should be happy about this now. The fact that pastor Latzel now has to pay a sum of 5,000 euros to an LGBT organisation and that without that amount of money, apparently no settlement was possible, I do not find positive. In my opinion, freedom of speech and religion are at stake here, and they have simply not been violated by Rev Latzel."

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No good news

A similar sound is heard in a commentary published by Idea journalist and lawyer David Wengenroth soon after the announcement of the settlement. "At first glance, dropping the criminal case seems like good news", Wengenroth writes. "But the closer you look at the outcome, the clearer it becomes that it is not really good news."

The upside for Olaf Latzel is that the legal wrangling is finally over after almost four years, writes the Idea editor. "This amount of money will not put the preacher to begging. Now that the court case has ended, the sword of Damocles, namely a legal conviction, no longer hangs over his head. And he does not have to fear now that Justice will start collecting five-figure legal fees from him."

That pastor Latzel chose the path of "rather one bird in the hand than ten in the air", Wengenroth understands. But the "big loser" of this whole affair, he says, is "freedom of speech in our country". Not only many theologically conservative Christians but also others wonder after this outcome "whether they actually still dare to express their opinions on socially controversial topics", the journalist writes. Then to conclude with the sentence: "One cannot escape the feeling that this is exactly what some judges and prosecutors wanted to achieve in Bremen."

Disappointed

Outright negative and angry reactions on Monday morning from representatives of the queer community, who were also present at the trial. "We are disappointed by this outcome", said Lilli Hasche and Sebastian Knaur. "This pastor has severely offended the LGBT community. He should not be allowed to get away with this. This trial should have been conducted until the end until there was a guilty verdict."

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According to both spokesmen, it is now up to Latzel's church denomination, the Bremische Evangelische Kirche (BEK), to punish and silence the pastor. They point out that disciplinary proceedings are still pending against Rev Latzel from the BEK, which the BEK has only temporarily halted pending the outcome of the legal proceedings in the secular court. "No appeal is possible against the settlement that has now been reached. But within the church, opposition to Rev Latzel must continue."

This article was translated by CNE.news and published by the Dutch daily Reformatorisch Dagblad on August 28, 2024