Bond of unity experienced through dialogue

In Munich, Dr Annekathrin Preidel, the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (ELCB) Synod and her husband, T. Paulsteiner, invited the participants for a coffee session.

Jun 28, 2019

By Carmelita Xavier
In Munich, Dr Annekathrin Preidel, the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (ELCB) Synod and her husband, T. Paulsteiner, invited the participants for a coffee session. Dr Preidel was quick to introduce herself as a Lutheran who married a Catholic! With this opening, she gave an overview of her thoughts on the direction the Synod is taking at this point of time. She further added that Churches in general must be on the Ecumenical journey together by living the unified Body of Christ. Many were moved by this session as the various church concerns were also shared.

In his testimony, Major Lee Kong Yee of the Salvation Army shared that the missionary spirit of the Lutheran Church in Bavaria, the rich heritage of the Reformation experience, the ecumenical service between the Catholic and Lutheran in Neuendettelsau, and the ecumenical dialogue of the Vatican with the various Christian groups worldwide was heart-warming and positive. In Rome, the paintings, icons, sculptures and Basilicas were majestic and God-glorifying. One wonders how the people were able to put up such structures with the kind of technology that existed in the earlier centuries.

The team also made a visit to Cardinal Kurt Koch, the Head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of the Vatican. The team were given an inspiring report of the works of the council with the world wide communions and denominations of the following traditions - the Orthodox Church, Methodist, Anglican, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Baptists, Anabaptists and Mennonites .

The Study Tour participants also had an opportunity to visit the Embassy of Malaysia to the Holy See to meet the newly appointed Ambassador, Mr Westmoreland Palon and his team. After an introduction and short meeting, fellowship was then warmly accorded with a Malaysian lunch. After lunch, Bishop Ong gathered the people and offered a prayer for His Excellency Westmoreland Palon.

Gopal Sundaram shared that grassroots ecumenism in Bavaria was an eye opener for him. The Ecumenical Service in Neuendettelsau made an impression on him. This service was run by the Lutheran and Catholic community, with priests from both denominations. There was a time for Praise & Worship, followed by a sharing of the Word by the Lutheran priest. This was then followed by fellowship in the open field of a farm!.

In his testimony, Archbishop Ng Moon Hing shared, “It did not only show us beautiful sites and wonderful history of the early Church leaders but definitely has enhanced our global perspective of sacrifice, obedience and faith in the Lord. This ecumenical study tour of Germany and the Vatican city have regenerated in me a fresh commitment to serve our Lord Jesus even more fervently with intentional transformation of self, family, community, society and even nation.”

Arokiadass, from the Catholic Church and also the CFM Chairperson for the Penang Chapter, shared that the study tour was indeed educational. He said that this study cleared up a lot of questions with regards to Martin Luther’s move and intentions in bringing forth the Reformation. The trip to Rome, he added, convinced him of the stand of the Catholic Church in the past and present and all that she did to enforce the enormous presence of God through rich traditions that were so prevalent in the various Basilicas during the medieval days.

All in all, this has been an eye opener for all those who participated in this study. This tour has indeed opened a whole new world of love and understanding amongst the Churches. There is indeed new life taking place in the Malaysian Churches, having wonderful dialogues with the Lutheran Church and the Vatican. One can ponder not only local ecumenical concerns, but also international ecumenicity and perspectives on global issues as well for the Church today.

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