The interconfessional church of Biberach St. Martin (diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany) is unique of its kind, since only a few churches in Germany are still being used concurrently by two confessions. The parish church of the town has in fact been used as an interconfessional church ever since 1548. An ordinance on church services, successively amended in the course of the centuries, lays down the times in which the various confessions may use the church for religious services. Moreover, ecumenical services are celebrated during the year, with the participation of mixed communities, students and married couples. “We respect each other and are in constant contact with the responsible committees (diocesan councils, ecumenical pastoral council)”, says the parish priest Erhard Galm. “I am deeply impressed by the centuries-old tradition preserved in this town. I am convinced that the future of Christians can only be achieved in ecumenical union. Only if we act together in prayer, in religious worship and in social commitment can we be more credible in relating to society, with its problems, its challenges, and also its appeals to the Churches to give moral guidance and transmit a sense of the meaning of life”. “The interconfessional church continues the parish priest – “remains a challenge for both the ecclesiastical communities it accommodates, to re-imbue with life the external structure inherited from our forefathers, and to draw ever closer to each other in religious worship and in human relations. We know concluded Father Galm that, in this sense, we are also a sign for other communities”.
