Congo-born Priest Quits Parish After Racist Threats

It happened in Germany, according to this from RNS: 

A Catholic priest has resigned from his parish in Germany after racist threats and abuse by local politicians.

The Rev. Olivier Ndjimbi-Tshiende told parishioners during his Sunday (March 6) sermon that he would be leaving his post in Zorneding, close to Munich, after Easter. The Congolese-German priest received race-related death threats five times in the past few months and has also been stalked, German magazine Der Spiegel reported.

Ndjimbi-Tshiende has reportedly suffered racist abuse from two members of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian arm of a center-right party that forms part of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government.

The local party leader, Sylvia Boher, was criticized last year by Ndjimbi-Tshiende after she referred to an “invasion” of Eritrean refugees. Her CSU ally, Johann Haindl, subsequently used a racist insult against the priest, the BBC reported. Both politicians have since resigned from their party posts after criticism of their statements.

Read more. 

Photo: Twitter