The Union of the two main Protestant churches of Eastern France was celebrated with a solemn rite in the church of Saint-Thomas in Strasbourg on Sunday 7 May, in the presence of a thousand or so faithful. The Church of the Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine (ECAAL) is the majority Protestant church in the region with its 210,000 members and represents the Lutheran tradition. The Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine (ERAL) is of Calvinist tradition; it has 33,000 members. A representative of the government and the President of the Protestant Federation of France, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, were present at the ceremony.
