First the sound of the guitar, pacifist lyrics – as befits a Protestant church congress. Then it was down to business: Is it ethical to supply arms to Ukraine?
For decades, the Evangelical Church in Germany has been passionately discussing the issues of war and peace – at the 38th German Evangelical Church Congress there was much applause for the Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Carsten Breuer, who justified the arms deliveries to Ukraine: ” If the West had not supported it with arms, the war would be over, but Ukraine would be under the yoke of Russia. The war would be over, but the suffering would continue,” he said in Nuremberg on Friday.
Since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has been wrestling with the question of whether military support for Ukraine is justifiable and compatible with Christian principles. Many prominent figures in the church consider arms deliveries to be justified, such as council chief Annette Kurschus or the Bavarian state bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm. The EKD peace commissioner, regional bishop Friedrich Kramer from Magdeburg, on the other hand, represents a decidedly pacifist position – which he also confirmed at the church congress.
“Where are the initiatives?” he asked with regard to possible peace negotiations. In addition, given the history of World War II, it was “dramatic” that German tanks were used to kill Russian soldiers, he said. A truce is the first commandment. Every day brings endless suffering. “The dying must end immediately.”
Debate on arms deliveries
Peace initiatives and pacifist organizations had sharply condemned the arms deliveries in front of the exhibition center. Another rally was planned for Saturday.
The President of the Kirchentag, Thomas de Maizière, said: “Christians always have a problem with the use of violence – who else?” At the same time, the former CDU federal minister opposed calls for weapons that were too loud. “There is a sofa pacifism, but also a sofa bellicism. Both make things too easy.” The peace-ethical question of weapons for Ukraine is “unsuitable for cheers in one direction or the other”.
Heike Springhart, regional bishop from Karlsruhe, recalled that the Second World War also ended through the use of force – “it would not have ended at the negotiating table”. And the end of the war was the prerequisite “that we in Europe can tell stories of reconciliation”.
Source: Stern
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