Choirmaster Boris Böhmann of Freiburg Cathedral in south-western Germany has been sacked with immediate effect following disruption of Masses at the cathedral over the Christmas period, Archbishop Stephan Burger announced on Monday.
“The Masses were deliberately disrupted. The disruptions have no place here, certainly not at Christmas,” Burger said.
“The head of the choirs at least approved of this,” he said, adding that there had to be consequences.
Böhmanns lawyer said he was considering legal steps, according to a report in the Badische Zeitung newspaper.
Böhmann had been dismissed and was to leave the cathedral at the end of February next year, after serving as choirmaster for 22 years. The manner of his dismissal led to protests among the parents of the choirboys.
The protests culminated in the disruption of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and Mass on Christmas Day, where the choirmaster led the choir. A live broadcast was interrupted as well.
The reasons for Böhmann’s original dismissal have not been disclosed by the archdiocese. Spokesman Marc Mudrak said there was a long history to the decision.
“There were numerous conflicts within the cathedral music school,” he said, adding that repeated attempts at mediation had failed.
