A hyperbolic epithet for (1) a Catholic cleric who promotes questionable liturgical practices, or (
2) those questionable practices themselves. Frequently shortened to "chickens in Westphalia."
Originating as a reference to a strange performance held in a Catholic cathedral in Germany in the summer of 2025, the phrase has since taken on a life of its own on the Catholic
internet.
In
May 2025, an
art group known as Bodytalk performed an interpretive
dance in the transept of Panderborn cathedral in Germany which involved the
use of plucked chickens dressed in baby diapers as props. During the controversy which ensued following the event, a spokeswoman for the
dance company defended the performance by saying that it was simply an homage to the agricultural heritage of the local region. "There are many chickens in Westphalia," she said.
Man, (
Father So and So)'s gone full "chickens in Westphalia" what with installing those big-screens in the sanctuary.
Dude. Some of these youth Masses are downright "chickens in Westphalia."
I'd say that I am liturgically
liberal, but I hesitate because when you say that what some
people hear is "there are many chickens in Westphalia.