Home page News
Russian Orthodox Church and Evangelical Church in&…

Russian Orthodox Church and Evangelical Church in Germany hold joint conference on Martyrs, Martyrdom, Christian Witness

November 2, 2017 – A joint conference of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Church in Germany on Martyrs, Martyrdom, Christian Witness opened at the grand hall of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR).

The Russian Orthodox Church is represented by Metropolitan Hilarion, DECR chairman – head of the delegation, Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairman, Archpriest Kirill Kaleda, rector of the church of the Russian Church’s Martyrs and Confessors at Butovo and member of the synodal canonizations commission, Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko, rector of the church of the All-Merciful Saviour in the former Monastery of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted, Hieromonk Stephan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, Rev. Mikhail Asmus, lecturer, St. Tikhon Orthodox University of the Humanities, Ms. Margarita Nelyubova, DECR staff member, Ms. Yelena Speranskaya, DECR adviser, and I. Kashitsyn, DECR staff member.

The participants in the joint conference from the Evangelical Church in Germany are as follows: Chairman Bishop Bedford-Strohm – head of the delegation; Prof. Dr. Christfried Böttrich, University of Greifswald; Rev. Dionysus Arion, Bread for the Work diakonical organization; Prof. Martin Illert, Hannover; Prof. Dr. Martin Tamcke, University of Gottingen; Prof. Dr. Reinhard Thöle, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg; P. Susanne Fleischer, Prof. Dr. Dagmar Heller, and Prof. Dr. Jennifer Wasmuth.

The first part of the conference was devoted to the topic ‘Persecution of Christians in Today’s World. Efforts of the Churches to Help Christian Communities in the Middle East’.

Before the meeting began, the participants honoured by the minute of silence the memory of Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and Germany and Probst Siegfried Kasparick, longstanding participants in the dialogue.

In his opening remarks Metropolitan Hilarion expressed hope that the second joint conference as part of the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Church in Germany will be no less successful than the previous meeting that took place in 2015 in Munich.

His Eminence noted that the year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and said that representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church took part in numerous celebrations and conferences taking place in Germany and Russia on the occasion. ‘In our country the initiative to hold such celebrations belongs to Archbishop Dietrich Brauer and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia with active participation of the embassy of the Federative Republic of Germany. Active cooperation during this year will certainly bring forth its fruits in the future as well’, he said.

‘Our present conference’, he continued, ‘is taking place on the eve of the national holiday, the Day of People’s Unity. This new holiday was established at the initiative of the Interreligious Council in Russia consisting of the leaders of the traditional religious associations in the country. Celebrated on November 4, this holiday has not been chosen accidentally at all. It is also the day of church celebrations in honour of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan, and the tradition of its veneration is closely bound up with the topic of people’s unity’.

The archpastor also drew the attention of the gathering to the centenary of the October revolution marked this year. Among its consequences was unprecedented persecution against the Church. ‘Precisely for this reason we have devoted the present meeting to the topic of martyrs and Christian witness’, he stressed, ‘Regrettably, this problem is relevant today too. We will consider the situation of persecuted Christians, our contemporaries who are suffering in the Middle East countries and standing in urgent need of effective aid. Let us recall Job the Long-Suffering: ‘After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes’ (Job. 42:10). But we will speak not only of prayer but also possible joint actions for saving Christianity in the lands where apostles used to preach’.

The conference will also discuss the important topic of Christian witness before the world, His Eminence Hilarion said, noting that it is precisely about what and how to speak about Christ to our contemporaries who are mostly unbelievers. Churches’ attitudes differ here, but I am confident we are in for interesting and essential discussions’.

Bishop Bedford-Strohm greeted the participants on behalf of the Evangelical Church in Germany, pointing to the importance of continued dialogue between the two Churches, which takes place today in the form of conferences. He also pointed out the relevance of the theme of the meeting. The topic of ‘martyrdom and suffering of our brothers in the Middle East unites Christians’, he said.

In his remarks, the chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany also noted that among the priority areas for bilateral inter-church cooperation is interaction of the academic sphere.

The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Archbishop D. Brauer, in his greeting remarks said in particular that numerous activities are held in Russia to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. He also mentioned the exhibition and the book jointly prepared together with the International Union of German Culture and devoted to well-known home pastors many of whom suffered martyr’s death in the years of Soviet power. ‘For us, martyrs are those who fearlessly and courageously confessed their faith in defiance of all the situations, even the hardest and the most hellish ones, in defiance of death itself. Martyrs are those who handed down their faith to us at the price of their own blood, following Christ the Lamb of God’, Archbishop Brauer stressed.

German Ambassador Rüdiger von Fritsch, in his message of greetings, pointed to the importance of dialogue between Christians in Russia and Germany. He spoke of today’s common challenges facing us and of the 20th century grave consequences for Christians in the both countries. As a visible testimony to ties between Christians in Russia and Germany the ambassador referred to the fact that among the sculptural images of the 20th century martyrs at the western façade of the Westminster Abby, there stand statues of the Protomartyr Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

‘I am glad that you have mentioned the statue at the portal of the Westminster Abby in London’, Metropolitan Hilarion responded, ‘because I was somewhat involved in choosing the martyr presented there. When the Church of England decided to fill those ten empty niches by images of martyrs representing various Christian confessions, an appropriate letter was sent to the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations. At that time I was the DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations. The letter asked, ‘Which martyr you would like to present as a symbolic figure symbolizing all the martyrs of the Russian Church?’ I did not think long, of course, about the answer that it should be Grand Duchess Elizabeth’.

The messages of greeting were followed by a report made by the DECR chairman about the persecution of Christians unfolding in various regions of the world in our days and about the efforts taken by Churches to give relief and support to Christian communities in the Middle East.

The report was followed by a discussion dealing with specific ways of help to be given to Christians in the Middles East and with problems involved in the immigration policies of European states, as well as the situation concerning refugees.

The conference will last till November 3. During their stay in Russia, the delegation of the Evangelical Church in Germany will visit the church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church at Butovo and the Orthodox Russia exhibition to open on November 4 at Manezh.

DECR Communication Service

Share:
Telephone conversation held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Primate of the Malankara Church of India

01.11.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the VIII World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad

30.10.2024

Order of Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow presented to Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk by Patriarch Kirill

24.10.2024

Primate of the Russian Church celebrates Divine Liturgy in the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius Lavra on the commemoration day of St. Sergius of Radonezh

09.10.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers and Akathistos hymn to St. Sergius in the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

07.10.2024

Message from the Primate of the Russian Church to His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia in connection with blasphemous act on the ruins of ancient Ulpiana

14.09.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates on the feast of the 300th anniversary of the transfer of relics of St.Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg

12.09.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates All-night Vigil at the Christ the Savior Cathedral on the eve of Transfiguration

18.08.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' met with the Ambassador of India to Russia

30.07.2024

Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Awa III: Ukrainian government’s support for schism and persecution of the major canonical Church is a religious pogrom against the faithful Orthodox Christians of that country

24.07.2024

Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrates the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Tver.

21.07.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Liturgy at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius on the commemoration day of the saint

18.07.2024

The Primate of the Russian Church celebrates All-night Vigil at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

17.07.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius and reads akathist to the saint

17.07.2024

Patriarchal condolences on the death of Boris A. Nelyubov

14.07.2024

Telephone conversation held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Primate of the Malankara Church of India

01.11.2024

DECR Chairman has begun his visit to India

31.10.2024

Work of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is declared successful

24.10.2024

Synod acknowledges importance of bilateral projects carried out in collaboration with Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

24.10.2024

Order of Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow presented to Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk by Patriarch Kirill

24.10.2024

DECR Chairman heads celebrations for the fifteenth anniversary of the consecration of the Dormition Church at the Russian embassy in Beijing.

19.10.2024

Saint Petersburg Theological Academy hosts conference on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) entitled ‘The Person of Metropolitan Nikodim in the History of the Church’.

16.10.2024

DECR Chairman meets with President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference

15.10.2024

Participants of the Divine Service at the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Presnya congratulated the DECR Chairman on his 40th birthday.

12.10.2024

Russian diplomat given Patriarchal award.

10.10.2024

DECR Chairman delivered a lecture to students of the Russian Orthodox University

09.10.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers and Akathistos hymn to St. Sergius in the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

07.10.2024

DECR Chairman takes part in festivities for the beginning of the academic year at the Saints Cyril and Methodius Postgraduate Institute.

03.10.2024

DECR chairman attends reception given by Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation

22.09.2024

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with delegation of Orthodox Church in America

16.09.2024

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب