The Christians in Germany celebrate Easter under the impression of the war in Ukraine and other crises. The chairman of the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, spoke of “more violence, more strife, more confusion and a threat to the future of future generations”. And yet the resurrection of Jesus, which is celebrated at Easter, counteracts the escalation of crises and violence with an “escalation of life and love”.
Georg Bätzing, Chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference: despite all the uncertainties, do not lose heart (archive image)
The chairwoman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Annette Kurschus, defended arms deliveries to Ukraine on Deutschlandfunk, but at the same time called for a willingness to negotiate. According to Kurschus, weapons alone do not lead to peace. Discussions are important; however, this is proving difficult at the moment. “No one can negotiate with Putin now.”
Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx made a similar statement. As justified as it is to support Ukraine in its defense against the aggressor Russia, it is also important to think about how to get out of this war, said Marx in an interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk.
Annette Kurschus, Chairwoman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, defended arms deliveries to Ukraine (archive photo)
Easter is the oldest and most important festival in Christianity. On this day, believers all over the world commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death on the cross. For the first time since the corona pandemic, the services in Germany took place without special conditions. Nevertheless, in some places significantly fewer people came to the churches.
Criticism of Easter marchers
Under the impression of the Ukraine war, the peace movement also called for this year’s Easter marches. However, given the Russian aggression, the categorical rejection of all armed violence is controversial.
Easter March in Frankfurt am Main – The rejection of any armed violence is controversial in view of the Russian aggression in Ukraine
At the rallies, speakers often called for a halt to German arms deliveries, an end to the fighting and immediate negotiations. The FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann warned against siding with Russia and “acting as an accomplice to injustice”.
The parliamentary manager of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei, emphasized that the Easter marches had “at least something naive. It’s about peace in freedom”. In an interview with “Bild am Sonntag”, the CDU politician said: “As long as there are people like Russian President Vladimir Putin who rely on the law of the strongest instead of the strength of the law, we must be prepared to protect our free democracy also to defend.”
uh/hj (epd, kna, afp)