Spirit of Reconciliation Remains
EKD partners with the Church of England deplore the outcome of the British referendum on EU membership
The German co-chairs of the Meissen Commission, Ralf Meister, Lutheran bishop of Hanover, and Petra Bosse-Huber, EKD bishop of ecumenical relations and ministries abroad, deplore the decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.
“With all due respect for the democratic decision in Britain and all the obvious necessity for reforms in the EU, in our view Europe will suffer a painful loss with the upcoming withdrawal of an important partner,” said Bishop Ralf Meister. “The spirit of reconciliation and the ecclesial fellowship between our churches will not be affected by this political step. On the contrary, we will do everything to bring our churches and the people in our countries closer together.”
The Evangelical Church in Germany and the Church of England have for 25 years been bonded through the Meissen Declaration. Together they are on the way towards the full, visible unity of their churches. In past decades countless steps have been taken towards greater togetherness – close partnership relations exist between parishes, cathedrals, German regional churches and dioceses.
“Precisely in our fragile and vulnerable world, and in a Europe that is so directly challenged today, our churches have a mutual need of each other and want to make an energetic contribution to European and global cooperation,” Bishop Petra Bosse-Huber underlined, speaking between sessions of the World Council of Churches’ Central Committee meeting in Trondheim, Norway. “Together with our sisters and brothers in the Church of England we are working for a Europe of growing community and just peace,” she added.
Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chair of the EKD Council, had previously expressed his regret at the outcome of the referendum. “The imminent departure of a country from the EU is a painful matter and must prompt us to drive the European peace project forward even more energetically,” he said. “With our international ecumenical network, our churches will continue to work towards a united Europe based on solidarity.”
Hanover/Berlin, 24 June 2016
EKD Press Office
Carsten Splitt