The donations raised by former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder for the “Reformation Window” in the Market Church in Hanover are now to go primarily to refugees from the Ukraine. They should not be used to finance the window, said the chairman of the market church board, Martin Germeroth, to the Evangelical Press Service: “It is our approach to separate the window from the person.” A total of 135,000 euros was made available for the 13 meter high stained glass window through Schröder’s mediation. Those responsible for the evangelical market church distanced themselves from Schröder’s donation in March after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and put the planned installation of the window on hold. They cited Schröder’s position on the Ukraine war and Russian President Putin as the reason. Schröder wanted to give the window, a work by his artist friend Markus Lüpertz, to the community. The occasion was the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
–
