Beatification of the Martyrs of Lubecca

(June 25.06.2011) Cardinal Walter Kasper former president of the Pontifical Council for the Unity of Christians officiated at the beatification ceremony of three Catholic priests and a Lutheran pastor from the northern German city of Lubeck, who were executed by the Nazis in Hamburg Nov. 10, 1943. The three Catholic martyrs are Fathers Eduard Mueller, Johannes Prassek and Hermann Lange, and the the Lutheran pastor, is Rev. Karl Friedrich Stellbrink. The beatification ceremony took place Saturday, in the historic Lubeck city’s Sacred Heart Church, a stone’s throw away from the Lubeck Cathedral, the ministerial home of the Rev. Karl Friedrich Stellbrink. As the Nazi executioner beheaded the three Catholic priests and a Lutheran pastor, one after another, in a matter of minutes, their blood flowed together, creating a powerful symbol for ecumenism in northern Germany. Cardinal Kasper’s homily took off from the words “The hour has come”, words which had been on the lips of the martyrs. They were ready for martyrdom and today too Christian attitudes can provoke strong opposition. Besides, Christianity is not a welfare religion and a Christian cannot hope to be “everybody’s darling” . Being Christian only in name is of no value, the Cardinal said.