wfn.org | Ecumenical Commemoration of Witnesses to the Faith in 20th Century

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

ROME, Italy/GENEVA, 6 June 2000, (LWI) - As a part of the Jubilee Year
2000 celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, an important commemoration
was held in Rome on 7 May 2000 on the highly symbolic hillside between
the Coliseum and the Arch of Titus.

In the presence of several thousand people, representatives on the world
level of many churches, from "right" to "left", took part in the
ceremony, which was organized by the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity. The general secretary, Dr. Ishmael Noko and other staff
represented the Lutheran World Federation.

The event had its origin in a concern of Pope John Paul II for all
Christians "that they may discern the effective presence of Christ and
of the Holy Spirit even in the midst of persecutions and violence." His
concern was also for the present and for future generations, "that they
may not forget the example of their brothers and sisters who bore
witness to Christ and suffered persecution even while forgiving their
persecutors."

The following groups of witnesses to the faith were commemorated:
- Christians who bore witness to their faith under Soviet
totalitarianism
- Witnesses to the faith who were victims of Communism in other nations
of Europe
- Confessors of the faith who were victims of Nazism and Fascism
- Followers of Christ who gave their lives for the proclamation of the
Gospel in Asia and Oceania
- Christian faithful persecuted out of hatred for the Catholic faith
- Witnesses of evangelization in Africa
- Christians who gave their lives for the love of Christ and of their
brothers and sisters in America
- Witnesses to the faith in different parts of the World Council of
Churches

In his homily, Pope John Paul II stated, that "the ecumenism of the
martyrs and the witnesses to the faith is the most convincing of all; to
the Christians of the twenty-first century it shows the path to unity.
It is the heritage of the Cross lived in the light of Easter: a heritage
which enriches and sustains Christians as they go forward into the new
millennium."

One of the witnesses specifically mentioned and commemorated was the
Lutheran pastor Paul Schneider. He was born in 1987 and became a member
of the circle of pastors founded by Rev. Martin Niemoeller. Deported to
Buchenwald in 1937 because of his opposition to Nazism, Schneider died
on 18 July 1939 in solitary confinement as a result of torture and
medical experimentation.

He is remembered by fellow prisoners for his bold preaching--or attempts
to preach--from his prison window before he was interrupted. On Easter
Sunday, his strong voice would proclaim: "Thus says the Lord: I am the
Resurrection and the Life."

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 59 million of the world's 61 million Lutherans. Its highest
decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years.
Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which
meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/