Church: Woelki: Ukraine war low point in the history of civilization

Catholic and Protestant clergy emphasized hope and the power of faith in their Easter sermons.

Church: Woelki: Ukraine war low point in the history of civilization

Catholic and Protestant clergy emphasized hope and the power of faith in their Easter sermons. The war in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than a year, found its way into the Easter messages, as did climate change and poverty in many parts of the world.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne described the Ukraine war as the low point of civilization. "This terrible war in Ukraine, which has been raging for 410 days, is one of the darkest parts of our so-called modern history of civilization," said Woelki in his sermon in Cologne Cathedral after the text of the speech had been disseminated in advance. "Brutal destruction and death everywhere you look. Untold suffering and tears for millions of people." The number of people fleeing war, conflict and persecution around the world has never been higher than it is now, said Woelki.

"The storm of war continues to sweep over the people of Ukraine"

The chairwoman of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Annette Kurschus, called for people not to be paralyzed by the many crises in the world. "The storm of war continues to sweep over the people of Ukraine," said Kurschus after a statement by the EKD. However, Easter is God's strong counter-speech against everything that appears to be deadlocked and hopeless.

Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx sees Easter as a resource of hope. Because Easter means: "I believe that life is stronger than death. I believe that the good creation cannot be completely spoiled by people. I believe that the creative life spirit of God is alive in me. And I believe that I'm not alone - not in life and not in death," said the archbishop of Munich and Freising, according to the manuscript, in his Easter Vigil sermon.

The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, said after a speech that had previously been distributed in Limburg on the night of Sunday that ensuring sufficient clean drinking water and protecting the seas is a "human task". In much of the world, people suffered from the lack of clean water within reachable distances. "Drought zones are increasing at an alarming rate due to climate change. And such zones are not just thousands of kilometers away from us," warned Bätzing.

Christians celebrate on Easter that according to biblical tradition, Jesus rose from the dead three days after his execution.

NEXT NEWS