The Brandenburg Gate, monumental symbol of Berlin, was the site of the opening ceremonies of the first national ecumenical Kirchentag. The key liturgical celebration was presided over jointly by the Catholic Archbishop, Georg Cardinal Sterzinsky and the Lutheran Bishop of Brandenburg City and State, Wolfgang Huber.
It was indeed a historic event, for the following reasons: the venue chosen for the Kirchentag, its enormous implications, the ecumenical thrust from the grassroots which its participants – almost 200,000 in all – wanted to contribute. High-ranking authorities were present, including the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Johannes Rau, Grand Chancellor Gerard Schroeder, and Mayor Klaus Wowereit.
A significant fact happened just an hour before the liturgical celebration. The announcer opened the program with the words: “Finally, finally the long-awaited moment has come…”, but it was impossible for him to continue because of the jubilant cry from the audience, which was almost like an explosion of the yearnings, the hopes and the painful moments overcome…
Seeing the crowd and hearing this shout of joy, only one idea prevailed: “Yes, the time was ripe for this moment to happen.”
From the very beginning of the liturgy, those present lived through moments of joy, enthusiasm as well as deep spiritual recollection, in the awareness that Christ was the centre of all that was happening.
“The events that are taking place here during these days are important for the whole of society, and extend far beyond the Christian Churches”, said President Johannes Rau to underline the importance of such an event in the land where the Reformation began.
Pope John Paul II’s message, offered in a largely “evangelical” key, was interrupted many times by applause. He said, among other things, “The Kirchentag should become a great ecumenical sign, for our communion in the faith is much stronger and more important than whatever divides us still.”
The Holy Father continued by encouraging those present to raise their voices in unison to defend the values of family and life. He also spoke of residual sufferings due to the lack of unity among Christians.
“It is necessary for us to bring back our thoughts to the basis of our faith. It makes me happy to see that the Ecumenical Kirchentag has decided to re-declare this as the “Year of the Bible” (ecumenical project in Germany this year). I encourage you to pray with the Bible, to read and meditate on God’s word and to interpret your life according to the message which was revealed to us by God and was transmitted through the centuries by the community of the faithful.”
The Pope stressed that conversion is a necessary condition for ecumenism. “God wants us to be one so that the world may believe!” He encouraged all to continue their efforts in the ecumenical journey “with sensitivity and respect, with patience and courage, in respect for the truth and with authentic love.”
He concluded by saying: “If you submit yourselves together to God’s blessing, then you yourselves will become, ever more, a blessing one for the other and for the world, especially in those places where there is suffering and anguish.”
The next speaker was Gerard Schröder, Grand Chancellor of Germany:
“In spite of secularisation a signal shall rise up from Germany during these days, saying: ‘The Church is alive. It is full of vitality and especially young people are attracted to it.’”
As the crowd passed through the Brandenburg Gate, many participants expressed the hope that this might be a symbolic act which could tear down the invisible wall which still divides our Churches.
In the evening there was a festival on the streets in the centre of Berlin, organised by parishes as well as other groups, movements and associations. It seemed that Christians had taken over the city, Christians who were modern and youthful, joyful and open … the kind of Christianity which could really be in fashion again!

The motto and the four interest camps
The motto chosen for these days was “May you be a blessing”, and one could try to get a deeper understanding of it by joining one of the four “interest camps” of the Ecumenical Day of the Churches.
1. Showing one’s faith – living in dialogue
2. Searching for unity – meeting each other in our diversities
3. Respecting human dignity – safeguarding freedom
4. Life in the world – responsible action

Each of these “interest camps” was comprised by a large number of meetings, prayer sessions, round-table discussions, conferences and the most varied sorts of projects. It took a 720-page booklet to illustrate the program which took place during those days.