Around 1,200 people attended two services with music by pop star Taylor Swift in the Protestant Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg. Part of the program on Sunday were six pieces by the American, who has already discussed her Christian roots in her music. According to the church, the first reservations came from parents whose children wanted to attend services with the family. The two services, titled “Anti Hero” after Swift’s song “Anti-Hero,” were fully booked. Entry was free.
Singer Tine Wiechmann said in advance about the great interest: “We try to address things in the church that primarily affect people. If it is full, that is of course a nice thing for us.” When people leave the service with the feeling that they have experienced something that comforted them and spoke to them spiritually, then that makes them particularly happy. “And if these are people who haven’t found this in the church before, then that’s a very positive aspect for me,” said the 37-year-old.
According to Pastor Vincenzo Petracca, the Church of the Holy Spirit has been offering concerts with pop music since 2015 – Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Queen, Madonna. There was also a service with music by Michael Jackson, where the pastor said he also addressed the allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson and the topic of abuse in the church.
“It’s a lot easier with Taylor Swift,” Petracca said of the theme behind the music. The services were about the relationship between religion and politics with Taylor Swift. “She is the most powerful pop musician on our planet at the moment. She is considered so influential that she will influence the US elections in the fall,” said the 59-year-old.
Holy Spirit Church for Taylor Swift services