ecumenism" "
“Europe, don’t forget your martyrs”: that’s the title of the international symposium organized by the Austrian foundation Pro-Orient, held in Vienna on 21-22 October. The meeting was attended by many representatives of the Christian Churches and Judaism, who discussed the significance of martyrdom in terms of faith and ecumenical dialogue. “The walls between the confessions don’t reach heaven”, said Rudolf Prokschi, expert on the Oriental Churches and scientific director of the meeting, in his opening address. He also remarked that greater attention to the martyrs could dissolve the confines between the confessions. Of the same view is the Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Germany, Serafim Joanta, who declared: “The memory of the martyrs of each confession may significantly contribute to the success of ecumenism. Ecumenism, currently in a phase of arrest”, he added, “may be revived if consciousness be newly acquired of the fundamental elements of the faith: prayer, witness and love”. The Catholic bishop emeritus of Würzburg, Msgr. Paul-Werner Scheele, underlined the aspect of martyrdom as a factor of union between the confessions: “Since martyrdom necessarily concerns each Christian, a new and complete theology of martyrdom is needed”. The Berlin rabbi Walter Homolka for his part observed that martyrdom is in the first place a concept of Christian origin. He also pointed out: “It’s right to emphasize the factors of union between Christian and Jewish martyrdom, but what separates” these two concepts “is especially the difference of the salvific significance of death”. The representative of the Protestant Churches, Prof. Manfred Seitz of Bubenreuth, expressed the hope that Evangelical Christians would become conscious of the “significance of the ecclesiastical tradition of martyrs also in helping us to be Christians today”.
