Pope meets Leader of German Evangelical Church

Vatican City, 09 April 2013: Pope Francis received in audience Nikolaus Schneider, President of the Evangelical Church (Lutheran) in Germany on Monday morning. He was accompanied by his wife, and a group of associates.

Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, head of the Holy See Press Office, described the meeting as “very friendly”, adding that the President expressed his appreciation for the choice of Pope’s name Francis, “because it is the name of a saint who truly speaks to all Christians in a very effective manner.” The Evangelical leader also spoke about his concern for the victims of the recent flooding in Argentina, which has caused so much suffering.

According to Father Lombardi, their ecumenical discussions focused on the value of the ecumenism of the martyrs, to which the Pope gives particular weight, since the blood of the martyrs is something which profoundly unites the various Christian denominations in a common witness to Christ.

Dr. Schneider also spoke about the upcoming anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, which is of course an extremely important commemoration for the Evangelical Church in Germany. The Pope took the opportunity to remind the Evangelical leader of the words of Pope Benedict XVI in Erfurt, where Martin Luther lived and worked, which have a particular ecumenical significance in regards to the figure of Luther in particular, as well as for relations between the Catholic Church and those ecclesial communities emerging from the Reformation.
Source: VR Sedoc