In Rome, Germany’s president urges reconciliation across Europe

October 09, 2017

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Rome that European citizens’ sentiments about issues needed to be taken seriously ahead of an off as the EU copes with several crises across the bloc ahead of an official visit with Pope Francis.

“From Britain and Catalonia, to Poland and Greece,” it is clear the effect people’s emotions can have on politics, Steinmeier said in a speech on Sunday at the Christuskirche in Rome. “Emotions and feelings are never secondary.”

Read more: Islam in Germany: Muslims prefer to be talked to rather than talked about

Steinmeier, who served as Germany’s foreign minister before being elected president, said that citizens’ sentiments had been undervalued in the process of European integration. “Such a project can work in the long run only if the heart and soul are included,” he added.

Reconciliation: A European model

In his speech, the German president said the reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics could be used as a model for coexistence in Europe as Germany marks the 500th year anniversary since Martin Luther triggered the Protestant Reformation with his “95 Theses.”

Read more: The Luther effect: How Protestantism went global

A lifelong Protestant, Steinmeier is scheduled to meet with the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, on Monday, in which he is expected to discuss Europe’s challenges, including the ongoing migration crisis, far-right sentiment and growing disillusionment with the European project.

Since 2015 when more than one million migrants entered the EU, Francis has advocated for migrants’ rights, urging European leaders to show compassion and work together for a bloc-wide solution to the plight of refugees.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

All roads led to Rome

In this painting (1625-1650) dating from around 100 years after the Reformation, Martin Luther (center) is among a circle of reformers. Portraying the renewal of the church and the battle of wills among religious scholars as secular rulers watch on in the foreground, the painting signifies the interwoven nature of religion and politics at the time.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

A child reforms the Church of England

Edward VI (1537-1553), whose father Henry VIII had separated the English church from Rome, was the first English king with a Protestant education. Edward held religious services in the English language, abolished celibacy for priests and introduced the Book of Common Prayer before dying as a 15-year-old. The painting is “King Edward VI and the Pope” by an unknown artist from circa 1575.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

Korean translation of the Ten Commandments,1911

Korea and then later South Korea were considered boom countries for Protestantism as it spread east. An important part of the mission was to make use of the phonemic Korean alphabetic, Hangul, for Bible translations. Today, nearly one fifth of the South Korean population follows the Protestant doctrine, which is a record in East Asia.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

The Protestant empire

“Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way,” a mural by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze on display in the United States Capitol Building, shows American pioneers reaching the Rocky Mountains as they head West. Below them is a panorama of the pristine San Francisco Bay is the distance. Many such pilgrims were Protestants who had been persecuted in Europe, but left and spread their faith across America.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

Going back to Luther

Morning prayer in the Lutheran Kariakoo church in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Evangelical church in the East African nation is the largest Lutheran parish on the continent. Their charismatic leaders see themselves as representatives of the original Lutheran ideals.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

From Bohemia to Tanzania

The Moravian Brotherhood, a Christian faith movement originating from the Bohemian Reformation that is not bound by any denomination, played a major role in the spread of Protestantism throughout Africa. Their charismatic preachers spread from Tanzania across the entire African continent doing missionary work. Johann Valentin Haidt portrays this Luther effect in his “Erstlingsbild” from 1748.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

Protestantism in 17th-century Lapland

Protestantism penetrated the remotest corners of Northern Europe. The church abruptly changed the life of the indigenous residents as their local rites and customs had to give way to Christianization and the church. An unknown painter captured this theme sometimes prior to 1668 in far northern Lapland using both summer and winter landscapes.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

The deification of the Swedish king

When Sweden’s King Gustavus II Adolphus attacked parts of what is now Germany during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) and prevented a victory for the Habsburg-Catholic coalition, he inadvertently secured the future of German Protestantism. The act was glorifed in this painting titled “Apotheosis of King Gustavus II Adolphus” from around 1650.

The Reformation: The Luther effect goes global

A new oath on wool and silk

This tapestry embroidered with silk and wool shows the interweaving of Lutheran faith into the state. The Swedish parliament adopted a new law in 1686 that sealed the unity of the church and state, and Lutheranism became the state religion. The textile from around 1690 shows the swearing-in of the representatives of the estates on both the Bible and the Swedish Book of Law.

Author: Stefan Dege (sb)