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Press release
145/2016
“An important step towards reconciling the churches” Joint Message concludes ecumenical pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and Cardinal Reinhard Marx, chair of the German Bishops’ Conference, have called their joint pilgrimage to the Holy Land “an important step towards reconciling the two big churches in Germany”. At the same time, they called on the religions and society in the Holy Land to embark on a path of freedom and understanding. To conclude their journey, the EKD and German Bishops’ Conference issued a joint “message for Christ”, underlining the significance of the pilgrimage for the Reformation anniversary, and concluding: “Our common mission for our country is not yet completed. We are confident that the Christusfest in 2017 will become a credible witness to God and will strengthen us beyond this special anniversary year in our journey towards full visible unity.” Cardinal Marx told journalists in Jerusalem, “On the way to our common roots we experienced how our ecumenical unity has gained in depth and strength.” He continued: “In encountering the holy sites we sensed how deeply we as disciples of Jesus are united in following him.” They had also been reminded, however, that Catholic and Protestant Christians had done a lot of harm to one another in the past 500 years. “Together we pray that God will heal these painful memories,” Marx added. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm called the journey an “unforgettable experience”, through which Protestant and Catholic participants had gained an even better understanding of the others’ tradition: “We have learned to look with the eyes of the other. That is a very strong basis for the ecumenical spirit of the Reformation anniversary,” declared the Lutheran bishop of Bavaria. “In celebrating the Eucharist and Lord’s Supper we also sensed that reconciled diversity is an ambitious goal. It is painful when the deeply-felt fellowship cannot be expressed at the Lord’s Table.” The participants in the pilgrimage likewise experienced the unresolved conflict between Israelis and Palestinians as painful. At the same time they expressed appreciation of the contribution of the Christians living in the Holy Land to the common good and to a peaceful coexistent between Jews and Muslims. “We also embarked on this pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to be called to repent,” they reported. According to the message, it is the E-Mail: pressestelle@ekd.de - Internet: http://www.ekd.de