the third anniversary of the terror attacks against the United States, the German evangelical news agency IDEA reported. (Photo: Brandenburg Gate has seen several prayer meetings in recent years. Source: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).
The singing and praying Christians took part in the ‘Jesus Day’, one of Germany’s largest Christian events, which was organized by evangelical believers from mainly charismatic and Pentecostal backgrounds. Their march started and ended at Berlin’s Brandenburg gate, where United States film maker Gordon Pennington told the crowd that September 11 had taught people that ultimately "they can not decide themselves over their lives," IDEA said.
On their way through the German capital participants reportedly stopped at six political, commercial, financial, and cultural centers to offer prayers. Near the US-embassy they not only prayed for the roughly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks, but also for those killed in other acts of terrorism, such as last week’s school siege in Beslan, South Russia.
AGAINST TERRORISM
"The Jesus Day is an antidote against terrorism, violence and separation," IDEA quoted Rev Axel Nehlsen, chairman of the organizing committee as saying. 500 participants also took part in a rally of solidarity with Israel and Messianic Jews amid growing concern among both Christians and politicians over escalating anti-Semitism in Europe, including Germany.
As they gathered, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told Berlin’s Inforadio he was "alarmed" by strong gains made by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) in a regional election last Sunday, and by the prospect of the party scoring even better results in two elections on September 19.
"It’s truly a great problem — and one that we don’t need for international political reasons," Schroeder said, according to an advance text of the interview obtained by the Reuters news agency Saturday, September 11.
"DEMOCRATIC NATION"
"Germany is a free, democratic nation. And everything connecting us to the brown (Nazi) cesspool damages us, damages Germany, and damages our standing with international investors. I hope voters won’t give right-wing extremists a chance, " he added.
Even though most of Germany’s population of 82 million was born after 1945, the Nazi regime still haunts post-war Germans, and Christians at Berlin’s Jesus Day made clear they would not accept a return to the past. There was less interest in environmental issues during the Christian event: Only six Jesus Day participants bothered to visit the "ecological prayer" sightseeing tour in the Berlin Zoo, which was aimed at raising awareness about the garbage in the park, IDEA reported.
