Is This True?

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Short answer: There are social-media posts and some video clips circulating claiming that a German church (often identified as St. Mary’s Church, Marienkirche in Lübeck) has featured a pole-dance performance in its interior during the Christmas/Advent season—but the claims online are from user posts and not verified major news sources, and context matters. RTL+1

What’s circulating online

• Numerous posts on X/Twitter, Instagram reels, and video sites show or claim scenes of a woman performing around a pole inside a church space in Lübeck, Germany during Advent/Christmas season. Instagram+1
• Some posts reference the artist Anke Kestermann performing pole dance in St. Mary’s Church (Marienkirche) in Lübeck. tigerdroppings.com
• German outlet RTL has a short piece titled “Kunst oder Blasphemie? Frau macht Poledance in der Kirche” (“Art or blasphemy? Woman does pole dance in church”), indicating that the performance took place and sparked debate. RTL

What’s unclear or missing

🔹 No major international news outlets (e.g., Reuters, AP, BBC, major German press like Die Welt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, ARD/ZDF) are reporting a sanctioned church-wide Christmas Eve pole dancing “service.” Reports online are mostly user-generated content or from smaller social-media posts.

🔹 It’s not clear whether this was a formal part of a Christmas Eve liturgy or a separate artistic/performance event held in the church space—churches sometimes host cultural events, concerts, or performances that are not part of worship services. RTL

🔹 Some commentary conflates the visuals with exaggerated claims like “pole dancing during Christmas Eve Mass for parishioners,” but verified reporting of an official church service incorporating pole dancing is currently lacking.

Bottom line

• There are real posts and at least one German media clip showing pole dancing inside a church building in Lübeck during the Christmas/Advent season. RTL
• However, the sensational claim that a historic German Christian church plans to show pole dancing as part of its official Christmas Eve service has not been confirmed by reliable news sources.
• It may reflect a secular artistic event or controversy rather than an official church liturgical practice.