Church altar re-consecrated after couple had sex on it

The altar of a church in Upper Bavaria has been re-consecrated after a couple had sex on it.

The altar in the Catholic church in Schechen in the district of Rosenheim had been cleared for the Catholic rite and the local priest had then blessed it again with incense and holy water during a liturgy of the word.

The blessing had already taken place before Christmas, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising told dpa.

The case made headlines in 2023: the couple, who had sex in the church and documented it, had to answer in the courts.

The woman involved had since accepted the corresponding penalty order against her.

The trial scheduled for the beginning of February will therefore not take place, the Rosenheim district court announced.

The amount of the sentence was not disclosed because summary penalty order proceedings are generally not made public.

Her partner will have to stand trial at Traunstein District Court because he is also charged with other serious offences.

The trial against him is continuing and is scheduled to resume at the end of January.