Berlin / Frankfurt (dpa) – Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is hoping for a “signal of departure” on the occasion of the opening of the 3rd Ecumenical Church Congress in Frankfurt. Committed Christians were needed to counter increasing divisive tendencies in society, he said on Friday evening at the ceremony. The Kirchentag under the motto “Take a look” had already started on Thursday with an opening service. “I see with concern that the disputes in our country are being conducted with ever greater bitterness. That families break up in disputes, friendships diverge; that spaces of dialogue are being replaced by filter bubbles in which hatred and agitation flourish,” said the Federal President.
In view of the corona pandemic, the Kirchentag is taking place at a difficult time for the churches, Steinmeier said with a view to limited church services without congregational singing. “And as if that wasn’t sad enough, in the background the anxious question of whether there will ever be a return to normal,” he said. “Whether the pandemic doesn’t act as a fire accelerator here as well, giving the process of secularization additional impetus, which is pushing churches out of the middle of society.”
But it must also be asked critically where the churches themselves contribute to the process of alienation. “First and foremost, I mention the agonizingly slow uncovering and processing of horrific crimes against the weakest among us, against children and young people. Crimes that have long been forgotten or concealed in the churches.”
The two presidents – Bettina Limperg for the Protestant Kirchentag and Thomas Sternberg for the Central Committee of German Catholics – were relieved that the Kirchentag could begin despite the pandemic and restrictions. “The way here was really not easy,” admitted Sternberg. Limperg recalled difficult issues that question the credibility of the churches. “We have to, we will talk about it,” she said in view of the around 100 events, including the “Tatort Faith Room”. The Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) hoped that the Kirchentag would also provide some hope and orientation in difficult times.
The Kirchentag on Friday was determined by the interreligious dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims. The fight against anti-Semitism played a special role, not least in view of developments in the Middle East.
The two presidents of the Kirchentag were dismayed that “the Middle East conflict is once again a threat to Jews here in Germany”. The attacks on the synagogue in Bonn, the burning of Israel flags in front of the synagogue in Münster or the roaring slogans in Gelsenkirchen were alarming, it said in a joint statement. “This is the despicable defamation of members of the Jewish religion and culture. We must not turn a blind eye to this hatred or belittle it.”
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, warned of an increase and spread of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories during the corona pandemic. He observed “dangerous social upheavals,” he said at a discussion event. He would like Jews to be shown in schools or in educational work not only in the role of victims, “but also what Jewish people have created in this country”.
Schuster called for social engagement against anti-Semitism and particularly emphasized the role of schools. “Nobody is born an anti-Semite. It is important that children have educational opportunities right from the start that ensure that they do not become anti-Semites.”
Due to the corona pandemic, the 3rd Ecumenical Church Congress in Frankfurt will mostly take place digitally. Exceptions are some church services with a hygiene concept and limited number of visitors.
Because of the pandemic, the oratorio “Eins” also premiered digitally on Friday evening. The biblical journey through time was originally intended to be performed in the Frankfurt stadium “with the largest choir in the world” with up to 50,000 singers. A move to the festival hall also failed – the city’s vaccination center is now located there. Instead, the performance, produced in advance with a distance concept, was streamed in the evening.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210514-99-602932 / 2
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