Walls and prayers

Every Monday in Leipzing the prayer for peace is recited in St. Nicholas’ church. The faithful gather to pray for the end of the war in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of German troops. They pray for the many difficult situations of employment in Germany, and for those who are unemployed. Then and today this symbolic site is bound together. This is the place where on October 9 1989 70 thousand began a silent march, the largest spontaneous demonstration ever held in the DDR (Democratic Republic of Germany). “Keine gewalt” – no to violence and peace – was the demonstrators’ cry. While for weeks the police had persecuted and beat all those participating in the prayer, they did not oppose the flow of demonstrators. The Wall fell a week later. Christian Fuehrer, Evangelical Pastor of the Nickolaikirke retired a year ago. But he continues travelling across the world to bring the testimony of peace that stemmed from the experience that gained impetus in the early 1980s. Francesca Lozito, interviewed him for SIR Europe in Milan, during the presentation of the book “Lipsia 1989, Non violenti contro il Muro” by Paola Rosà (Il Margine ed.s).Pastor, what is the current situation in the Nickolaikirke?“As in the past, the ongoing pastoral activities continue. As continue our Monday prayers for peace”.Are there differences since the times of the prayers for peace?“Only the issues differ. At the time we prayed for the possibility of travelling, of expatriating. In other words, we prayed for freedom. Today we pray for employment and for the end of the wars. But we must not forget that the prayer for peace stems from a need that relates to man. There are people tasked with illustrating the object of the prayers. The crisis did not start here in Germany, but people have incurred in many debts and this problem will certainly affect our future”. What is the link between the themes you pray for today and those that you used to pray for at the time? “The common element that risks blocking individuals’ initiative is resignation. Thus courage must be transmitted. A common ground of departure is needed in order to bring forth the actions of individuals. This can be the ‘success’ of the prayers: to never leave man alone with his fears”.Polemics regarding the possible infiltration of the secret police, Stasi, within the Protestant and Catholic Churches are ongoing. What is your stand to this regard? “The Church has been the only free space with freedom of expression across the entire DDR. For this reason the social and political claims that could not be expressed elsewhere gathered within the Church. I myself opened the Nickolaikirke to punk movements, which before Germany’s ‘Wende’ (the reunification process that ensued the Fall of the Berlin Wall, ed.’s note) were marked by protests against the Communist regime. I heard them playing and I ensured that the church could help them provided the respect of the place. They did not delude me”.Which were the most evident areas of contrast between the Church and the Regime? “The strongest opposition to the Church was expressed in the State’s secularization process. At the time it was believed that with the generations attention towards the Church would gradually wane away- It was generally believed in the 1970s, when it was decided that it should not be reduced to becoming clandestine without holding a hard line. This policy was decided also to safeguard an international image and ensure inner peace, which in 1978 led to an agreement between president Honecker and the evangelicals, that brought small concessions. At the same time the Stasi was under the order to demolish and disrupt the lives of individuals committed at Church level. Thus, as a paradox, at the beginning of the 1980s we witnessed a massive flow of youth in the Churches”.