“Building bridges in Europe through gestures of reconciliation and friendship that reach beyond borders. A new wave of hope has begun, inspired by the Gospel. . . .” And this is the purpose behind the European St Ulrich Prize, which was awarded this year to the Together For Europe Orientation Committee, on May 3, 2014 in the historic city of Dillingen, Germany. Through Together For Europe 300 Christian movements and communities have joined together to work for reconciliation and friendship among the peoples of Europe. Participants include Catholics, Evangelical-Lutherans, Evangelical-Reformed, Orthodox, Anglicans and Christians of free churches.

The prize-winners represented by 50 communities and movements were welcomed by both religious and civil authorities: Mayor Kunz; Catholic Bishop Zsarda di Augusta, regional Evangelical Bishop Grabow, and leaders from the financial and cultural worlds.

The laudatory speech was given by Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for the Consecrated Life: “I look upon the ecumenical witness of Together For Europe with much gratitude. Through it more and more new spaces are created in which it is possble to come together as brothers and sisters, generating reciprocal love among the Churches and opening newer and newer ways of approaching the things that still divide us.”

Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz and Landrat Leo Schrell

The European St Ulrich Foundation began in the city of Dillingen, in 1993 on the 1000th anniversary of the canonisation of the Bishop Ulrich. Its purpose was to promote the unity of Europe according to the Western tradition. The president of the administration council, Bishop of Augsburg, Bishop Konrad Zdarsa presided at the religious ceremony together with his Evangelical-Lutheran colleague, Bishop Michael Grabow. Previous prize winners include: ex-chancellor of the German Federal Republic, Helmut Kohl; ex-president of the German Republic Roman Herzog; Polish ex-presdient and Peace Prize Winner, Lech Walesa; ex-archbishop of Prague Cardinal Miroslav Vlk; and Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Sant’Egidio community.

President of the St Ulrich Foundation, Landrat Leo Schrell: “The striking variety of movements involved makes it obvious that the intution of Together For Europe is supported by people of different Churches and backgrounds, who have the same goal: to contribute to European unity.” According to Schrell this journey: “is capable of pointing a path for the future.”

The donation sum of 10,000 € will be used for young people from Eastern European countries to take part in Together For Europe, especially in its next convention in 2016.

Gerhard Proß from the Esslingen YMCA, and representing the Orientation Committee of Together For Europe, gave thanks for being awarded the prize. The prize is considered an encouragement to continue the good work: to uncover the rich diversity of Europe, in this historic period of rising nationalism: “The future of Europe lies in the Together.”