Vienna Archdiocese Hosts FEMEN Show in Church

On 17 May, Ukrainian FEMEN activist Inna Shevchenko, 35, staged a performance at the neo-Gothic St Elisabeth's Church in Vienna, Austria.
The event was part of the 2025 Vienna Festival Weeks (Wiener Festwochen), which had a pagan theme entitled "Republic of Gods".
Shevchenko has campaigned for abortion, homosexuality and blasphemy, usually half-naked. In 2012, she cut down a large wooden cross in Kyiv.
In October 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed Josef Grünwidl as Archbishop of Vienna. He was widely regarded as one of the most liberal priests in the archdiocese.
Shevchenko Presents "New Form of Liturgy"
At St Elisabeth's Church, Shevchenko was dressed in black. She presented what the organisers described as a 'new form of liturgy'. The event was even advertised as an "alternative Mass".
Standing before the altar, Shevchenko asked, "Who speaks?" A women's choir responded, "Woman."
She then wrote the word 'Woman' on a sign, held it aloft and began a speech centred on her interpretation of …More