Ecumenical relations in Germany : Professor Friederike Nussel
Friederike Nüssel is Professor of Systematic Theology and Head of the Ecumenical
Institute of Heidelberg University in Germany .
In an interview with Veronica
Scarisbrick focusing on ecumenical relations between the Protestant and the Catholic
Churches in her nation , Professor Nüssel expresses her personal hope for the
outcome of the Pope's third visit back home which has as theme: " Where God is, there
is the future ": " I do hope that this visit of the Pope will encourage us in understanding
and really confirming and affirming the motto of his visit and secondly I hope that
he will find a way to address the issue of the Reformation in a way which allows
both of our Churches to get an impulse " .
Professor Nüssel also tells Veronica
she feels the encounter of the Pope in Erfurt with representatives of the EKD,
an umbrella organization which groups together the Reformed, United and Lutheran Churches,
at the Augustinian Monastery where Luther lived and worked and where in a way the
Reformation began represents a "very good ecumenical sign" .
In this interview
Veronica also asks whether Protestants in Germany perceive that they are the 'separated
brethren' the German Pope knows best : " I think many people know that the Pope as
an academic scholar knows a lot about the Reformation and the development of Protestant
thought ,so I think this is recognized and perceived ".
Another issue explored
in this interview which briefly touches on uniting elements at a theological level
between Catholics and Protestants is connected to the significance of the forthcoming
2017 anniversary of the Reformation for the Lutheran Church.