"The history of the martyrs in Europe, who have helped each other when in trouble by overcoming their denominational barriers, shows that being united in the same faith is more important than any tension in history": a concept that has been repeated by many people in the ecumenical meeting organised in Cologne today by the Community of Sant’Egidio in the church of St. Ursula, with the testimonies of Seraphim, a representative of the Orthodox patriarchate of Romania, the Lutheran minister Elsa Ulrike Ross, an ex student of Edith Stein and a Catholic vicar from Poland. "In the prisons, the martyrs helped each other and experienced the unity of faith", said Seraphim, as he recalled that the Orthodox Church in Romania even if it had not been banned by the regime as the Catholic Church was persecuted: from 1944 to 1989, approximately 2,000 priests were imprisoned and 5,000 monks and nuns were thrown out of their monasteries, "because the Party wanted to free man of faith, which was considered outdated". "The martyrs show us that in the Gospel we are all united – stated Seraphim and that the European society can only live according to the Christian life, otherwise it could become a bondage for man". To the young, Seraphim dedicated a word of advice: "Do not trust those who only see problems and believe history only leads to divisions. Love is stronger than belonging to a people or an ethnic group". (continues)
