Osnabrück (epd). According to the former Catholic bishop Franz-Josef Bode, the churches and religious communities have the task of contributing to peace, which currently seems distant. Any misuse of religion for war is a “perversion of faith,” said the theologian on Saturday in an ecumenical service for the Protestant State Trumpet Festival in front of the historic town hall in Osnabrück.
“Faith and religion must lead us to dialogue, differentiation and community, not through achieved victories, but in mutual rapprochement in order to seek and pursue peace together,” said Bode, who will remain at the University until his resignation in spring 2023 Head of the diocese of Osnabrück. Music is also very important: “Music that brings people of all generations and backgrounds together, that through intensive listening and intensive practice creates attitudes in the musicians and the listeners that we should not underestimate.”
Around 1,000 wind players came together in Osnabrück at the weekend for the nationwide festival of the trombone work of the Hanover regional church. This year, the anniversary “375 Years of the Peace of Westphalia” and the 125th anniversary of the trombone work are also being remembered. The State Trumpet Festival takes place every four or five years at different locations. In total, there are around 10,000 wind players in 550 trombone choirs and brass circles in the Hanover regional church.