Several Protestant Churches all over Germany rang their bells eight minutes last night at 6 pm, to coincide with the opening of the G8 in Heiligendamm. "Calling the international leaders to their responsibility for the fight against world poverty": the promoters explain that this was the purpose of "Eight minutes for justice", an initiative of the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Mecklembourg, of the Service of the Evangelical Churches of Germany for Development (Eed), and "Bread for the World", a program of the Church for aiding the developing countries. "Ringing the bells for eight minutes to call to prayer as a sign of solidarity with the poorest populations of the planet is a very powerful symbol", states Wilfried Steen (Eed), while the "Church and G8" coordination office hopes "they reminded the political leaders, through a specific action of the Church, to give proof of their solidarity" with the poorest. About one thousand churches joined the initiative, which also marked the opening of the Kirchentag (the rally of German Protestants) in Cologne. There, about fifty religious leaders from the G8 countries and Africa will make an appeal to the leaders gathered in Heiligendamm.
