A service in Germany celebrating a Catholic priest’s recent ordination featured a homoerotic dance.

The newly ordained Fr. Fabian Ploneczka, 33, of the Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese, celebrated his first Mass on Sunday, July 15 at his home church of St. Moritz in Augsburg. The Mass was preceded by three evening services, dubbed a “Triduum,” in the church, focusing on subjects of interest to the new priest. The events included a Saturday evening service dedicated to the theme of eroticism in the Christian faith.

According to the Augsburger Allgemeine, the worship service included the premiere of a ballet entitled “Jeremiah: Passion of the Prophet”, featuring ballet dancer Clemens Fröhlich of Munich and a narrated libretto written by Ploneczka himself. Observers told the German “Katholische Nachrichten”(kath.net) news site that the dancer performed dressed only in tight, skin-coloured underpants.

“The whole church became a dance floor, even the altar area,” kath.net reported. “There the dancer took the Gospel in his hand, stepped almost naked to the ambo, and lolled suggestively in front of the altar.”

Afterward Fr. Thomas Steiger of Tübingen, a pastor, and radio personality, gave a talk on the “eroticism of the faith,” speaking of “a sensual love for Jesus.”

According to kath.net, a young man interrupted the service by shouting that everyone should undress and began to follow his own advice, standing up to display his naked torso. Some of the attendees, among whom were children, left early.