06.06.2006
Germany: Munich Churches to Host 2nd Ecumenical Kirchentag in 2010
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria and (Roman Catholic) Archdiocese of Munich and Freising will co-host the Second German Ecumenical "Kirchentag" (church convention) from 12 to 16 May 2010 in Munich, Germany. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the second large joint event of Christian lay organizations in Germany, of which the central theme will be the role of Christians in society. The German Protestant Kirchentag and the Central Committee of German Catholics are jointly organizing the event.Presenting their joint official invitation to the event on 10 March in Munich, Bavarian Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich and Cardinal Friedrich Wetter of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, cautioned against linking the Ecumenical Kirchentag with unrealistic expectations in view of a shared Eucharist. The stage reached by the theological conversations between Protestants and Roman Catholics was not sufficiently advanced to fulfill such an expectation "in any realistic way," Friedrich noted. He said disagreement over joint eucharistic celebrations around the time of the first Ecumenical Kirchentag had not helped ecumenism. Over 200,000 people attended the first such gathering from 28 May to 1 June 2003 in Berlin, Germany.
Cardinal Wetter noted, "A gathering of this kind will hardly be able to contribute to solving such questions." He recommended a contribution of the common Christian values to the public debate.
Organizers of the ecumenical event note that other Christian churches are invited to participate. Conversations with other religions would be welcome. (248 words)
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