Freiburg / Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Freiburg’s archbishop Stephan Burger sees an answer to the Corona crisis in this year’s Easter. “It’s about accompanying and supporting people as best as possible,” said Burger of the German Press Agency in Freiburg. This is also the task of the church. Easter stands for hope, courage and confidence in difficult times – and for the fact that nobody is alone. Christians should therefore cultivate common sense and not miss Easter due to the corona virus.
Since common services and public celebrations are prohibited because of the corona virus, the faithful would have to reorient themselves, the archbishop demanded. Church services would be broadcast live on the Internet, television and radio. In addition, everyone can celebrate Easter at home and make the days festive. “And depending on this, there is also the possibility of involving those family members and friends who are not on site by phone or video.”
Burger called for “that we adhere to the recommendation to limit our social contacts as much as possible”. This also means “that we should not, as usual, invite the extended family to visit us or travel to a big Easter party”.
The Protestant bishops of Baden and Württemberg warned not to forget the refugees in the Corona crisis. “Good Friday 2020 leads us to the suffering of this world,” said Jochen Cornelius-Bundschuh and Frank Otfried July in a joint message on Wednesday. When Christians commemorate Jesus’ death on the cross on Good Friday, this year the focus is particularly on the victims of the corona pandemic. “But this Good Friday also leads us to the areas of war and conflict in the world, to refugees, to the refugee camps on the Greek islands, in Myanmar and Kenya.”
According to the two state bishops, Christians are “realistic because they do not supplant death and hell. We look where others look away.” A central component of the Christian faith is “that God himself goes with us humans to the depths of death”.
Bishop Gebhard Fürst from the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart celebrates Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Night and Easter Sunday in the Rottenburg Cathedral. The services are broadcast online on the diocese’s YouTube channel. Many other parishes also broadcast their services on digital channels. The diocese has put together templates on its homepage under the motto “worship at home”, according to which Catholics can celebrate the holidays at home.
There are also a number of alternative offers for Easter in the Evangelical Church in Württemberg. The Way of the Cross and the story of the Passion are told online in many parishes. In Ostdorf (Zollernalbkreis), trombone choir members make music from their own balcony or garden on Easter Sunday. In Schorndorf (Rems-Murr-Kreis) there is a concert from the tower of the town church. The Evangelische Jugendwerk Heilbronn shows a virtual Easter garden.
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