November 26, 2009

WITTENBERG, Germany/GENEVA – 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.

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

Lutheran World Information