German Cardinal Sparks Outrage With Use of Nazi Term

German cardinal sparks outrage with use of Nazi term

By Madeline Chambers, Reuters | September 16, 2007

BERLIN - A German cardinal has sparked outrage by warning that modern culture is at risk of descending into "degeneracy," a term that is strongly connected with the persecution of artists by the Nazis.

It is the second time in a week that a prominent figure has drawn fire for alluding to subjects linked to the Nazi era, highlighting how sensitive Germans still are - more than 60 years after the collapse of Hitler's regime.

Last Sunday, a public television network fired talk show host Eva Herman for praising Nazi policies aimed at nurturing families.

The latest incident occurred Friday when Joachim Meisner, the archbishop of Cologne, made a broad attack on modern culture in a speech to inaugurate a museum.

"When culture is disconnected from divine reverence, the cult descends into ritualism and culture degenerates. It loses its center," he said.

The Nazis used the concept of degeneracy to describe art and culture that failed to conform to their tastes. Today, the word is barely uttered in Germany.

"I am shocked that the term "degenerate" is still used," said former North Rhine-Westphalia minister Michael Vesper.

"Art is free and should not be pocketed by anyone. Anyone, like Cardinal Meisner, who is prepared to reject art which does not fit into his own pigeonhole of thought . . . is stoking a dangerous fire," he told Express newspaper.

A range of politicians condemned Meisner's comments, which appeared prominently in German newspapers.

The 63-year-old cardinal initially defended his choice of words, telling German radio he simply meant to say that if art and culture are separated, then both suffer. But yesterday his office released a statement saying he regretted that some of his words had been taken out of context and was shocked over the public reaction.

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