Cologne Cathedral on High Alert: Sightseeing Banned, Christmas Eve Mass Security Checks Amid Terror Threat
Cologne Cathedral bans sightseeing visits amid security concerns but encourages attendance at Christmas Eve services. Officials assure public of safety measures amid potential attack fears.
Sightseeing visits were barred at Germany's landmark Cologne cathedral, and Christmas Eve worshippers faced security checks to get into midnight Mass on Sunday as police responded to indications of a potential attack. However, a top security official urged people not to shy away from holiday celebrations out of fear. Even if the reference was to New Year's Eve, there are a lot of people in the area around the cathedral, today is Christmas Eve midnight Mass, it is one of the most visited cathedrals, the main train station is nearby, said police spokesman Wolfgang Baldes, standing in front of the cathedral.
There are a lot of people and that's why we said that if there was an indication we would do everything necessary to protect people. Herbert Reul, interior minister for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, appealed to the public not to stay away. Caution is advised, he said, but we are not defenceless. Our agencies are using all available information to protect us as well as possible. The European Union's home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, warned on Dec 5 that Europe faces a huge risk of terrorist attacks over the Christmas holidays due to fallout from the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Churchgoers attended multiple services at the cathedral despite the ban on visits purely for sightseeing, a day after police descended on the cathedral and searched it with sniffer dogs. Cathedral Provost Guido Assmann said that despite the halt to sightseeing visits, the ban didn't represent a big change since visits are normally not allowed during services. Moreover, services were scheduled throughout the day Sunday. Cologne's towering cathedral, visited by some 6 million people a year, is home to the Shrine of the Three Kings, a gold- and silver-decorated casket said to contain the relics of the three wise men described in the New Testament as paying homage to the newborn Jesus. Police and cathedral officials urged those attending Mass on Sunday evening to arrive early and not bring bags or purses.
