wfn.org | LWI 2009-067 First Ecumenical and International Monument to the Reformation

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First Ecumenical and International Monument to the Reformation
Planting of Luther Garden in Wittenberg

WITTENBERG, Germany/GENEVA, 26 November 2009 (LWI) –The Luther
Garden in Wittenberg, Germany, began to take shape in early
November with the first planting of 25 trees by representatives
of Christian World Communions and churches from Germany and
Europe. 

This is the "first ecumenical, interactive monument to the
Reformation," said Presiding Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich
(Munich) of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
(VELKD). The idea is to plant in a park a total of 500 trees by
2017, the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's Reformation. 

Friedrich remarked that the 2017 celebration would be
international with a living, growing monument, while the national
jubilee in Germany 100 years before had been celebrated with
monuments of stone and bronze. "That is wonderful," he said. The
occasion for the Wittenberg project was to remember the Lutheran
Reformation, which originated almost 500 years ago in Wittenberg
and appraise its effects down the centuries. "That is why not
just Lutheran churches but also other Christian World Communions
are invited to plant a tree as a sign of reconciliation and
mutual understanding as a result of intensive dialogues." 

Church representatives participating in the tree planting event
on 1 November included Walter Cardinal Kasper, President of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Metropolitan
Augoustinos, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; and Rev.
Dr Ishmael Noko for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The
Anglican Communion was represented by Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon,
the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) by Rev. Dr Setri
Nyomi and the World Methodist Council by Bishop emeritus Dr
Walter Klaiber. 

During the event Kasper remarked that it was possible today to
learn from Luther. The tree planted by the Roman Catholic Church
"also reminds us of the fact that Martin Luther’s call to reform
the church, which was a call to penance, also concerns us today."
He said, "We recognize with gratitude that the ecumenical
movement of the 20th century seeks to overcome the spirit of
denominationalism and to prepare the path for common witness to
the one apostolic heritage." 

The signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification (JDDJ) ten years ago had been intended as an
"expression of the agreement in central, fundamental questions of
proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We are grateful for that,"
added Kasper.

>A Further Milestone

The LWF general secretary described the Luther Garden as a
"further milestone" in ecumenical dialogue, which was in harmony
with the vision of the JDDJ signed in Augsburg, Germany in 1999.
While the ecumenical dialogue occasionally “had [its] hiccups, we
are still moving forward and every step we’ve taken is a step
toward ecumenism. The joint planting of the trees today is
another step forward and this provides energy for the ecumenical
movement,” stated Noko.

Children from the Protestant primary school of Wittenberg
accompanied the Christian World Communion leaders during the tree
planting ceremony. The children were able to see "what our
ecumenical movement has done," remarked Noko. He expressed his
hope that the children "would take our work further when we are
no longer there, and we thank God for that."

Nyomi stated he was planting WARC's tree as "an affirmation of
our Gospel's call to do justice within the world, including
taking better care of the earth and its resources." This too was
part of the legacy of the Reformation, he added.

The ceremony was also attended by Bishop Dr Christoph Klein of
the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Rumania, LWF
Vice President for the Central Eastern Europe region. Other
representatives from Germany included Bishop Ilse Junkermann
(Magdeburg), Bishop Jan Janssen (Oldenburg), Bishop Maria Jepsen
(Hamburg) and Catholic Vicar General Raimund Sternal
(Magdeburg).

Oberkirchenrat Norbert Denecke, executive secretary for the LWF
German National Committee (GNC) said the gathering in Wittenberg
was "historical," and praised the "excellent cooperation" with
other participating persons and institutions.

>Far Beyond Wittenberg 

Wittenberg's Lord Mayor Eckhard Naumann said the project reached
out far beyond the city and was backed by local people. He said
he was interested in having a monument "without concrete, steel
or bronze, that you can walk through," to mark the 500th
anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his theses to the
door of the Castle Church. 

The Luther Garden goes back to plans of landscape architect Dr
Andreas Kipar (Milan, Italy and Duisburg, Germany). The LWF
initiated the project in cooperation of the GNC and VELKD. The
park's foundation stone was laid on 20 September 2008.

The park will be planted along the area of the old city wall in
Wittenberg. Oval in shape and about 230 meters long, it allows
for a total of 500 trees to be planted by 2017. The central
element of the Luther Garden is a square in the form of a Luther
rose. The garden will form a link between the city center and the
Rive Elbe. At the same time, it will create a triangle with the
Castle Church and the Luther Church.

"I am firmly convinced that one of the most significant
Reformation monuments of the 21st century will grow at this
place," were the words used by GNC/LWF chairperson Bishop
Friedrich in his September 2008 invitation to turn the first clod
and lay the foundation stone for the Luther Garden in Wittenberg.

The ceremony was attended by LWF President Bishop Mark S.
Hanson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who emphasized
that the worldwide outreach of Martin Luther's beliefs
characterized the LWF member churches to this day. The Luther
Garden would enhance Wittenberg's reputation "as a place of great
historical significance." At the same time it offered the
opportunity to shed light on the importance of the Lutheran
Reformation for the worldwide church fellowship. (960 words)

Further information in English and German is available at:
www.luthergarten.de ( http://www.luthergarten.de/ ) 

*      *      *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of 68.9 million. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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