Germany remembers Kristallnacht and Berlin Wall
(Vatican Radio) This weekend, Germany commemorates both the 75th anniversary of the
so-called Kristallnacht and the 24th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall. Listen
to Stefan Bos’ report: 
On November 9th 1938 more than 1000 synagogues, as well as thousands of Jewish businesses, homes and medical practices, were looted and destroyed. As many as 1000 people were reportedly killed and more than 30.000 Jews were sent to concentration camps in the following days.
Officials of Catholic and Protestant churches participated in a silent march in Berlin to mark the Kristallnacht's 75th anniversary. "For me it is important to show in public that we haven't forgotten what happened here in Berlin 75 years ago," said Protestant Bishop Markus Dröge. "It's an appeal for human rights and dignity for anyone, regardless of their culture or religion."
Germans also recalled the 24th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which separated East and West Germany for decades.
There is discussion as to whether a prayer meeting made the fall of the Wall, on November 9th 1989, inevitable. A month earlier, thousands of Christians ignored death threats and armed police for a gathering at St. Nicholas Church, in the eastern German city of Leipzig, to pray for peace. They then joined some 70.000 people for a protest march against the country's communist regime – the launch of what proved to be an unstoppable movement for freedom.
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