In front of the Copenhagen Synagogue. Photo: Kim Bach, Creative Commons CC-BY-SA
Congregations Offer Comfort and Space for Discussion
(LWI) – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” is the message of solidarity that LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge has sent to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (ELCD) following the 14 and 15 February attacks in Copenhagen, in which two people were killed and several policemen were injured.
In a letter to the Bishop of Copenhagen Peter Skov Jakobsen and the chairperson of the ELCD Council on International Relations Dr Mogens Mogensen, Junge encouraged the Danish Lutheran church to maintain its unbroken commitment to be a prophetic voice, supporting and upholding communities at all levels of society “to live together in justice and peace.”
The LWF general secretary expressed gratitude for the many ways in which pastors and church congregations are actively contributing to offering space for discussion. He mentioned the acts of solidarity shown with the Jewish people in Copenhagen and the joint statement of Christians and Muslims speaking out against violence and underlining the continued need for dialogue. Such response “bears witness to a common vision to uphold a public space where violence does not have a place and the respect and the dignity of each human being is upheld,” Junge added.
In the Danish capital and other cities, several churches marked the events through Sunday morning worship prayers, special messages and hastily organized memorial services.
The Copenhagen Cathedral Dean Rev. Anders Gadegaard emphasized the importance of standing “shoulder to shoulder as a sign of peaceful coexistence, respect for freedom and democracy,” in spite of religious and political differences.
There was candle lighting and quiet reflection at St Jakob’s Church, located near the Krudttønden cultural center where the first shooting took place during a panel discussion on the freedom of expression. In his Sunday sermon, parish pastor Rev. Lars Ottosen emphasized the equal value of all human beings, which for Christians, is affirmed by baptism. “In the eyes of God we are all equal and no man or woman can kill in the name of God. That would be an insult against both God and humans,” he said.
Sharing words of comfort in a twitter message, Copenhagen Bishop Jakobsen prayed for “courage to live in freedom with one another—not against one another.”
(With additional information from Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen, General Secretary of the ELCD Council on International Relations)
