by Klaus Henning | 12 Mar 2026 | Experiences, reflections and interviews, Local Events, News
Aachen – A symbol of European history
Aachen, a city with a deeply European soul, provided the ideal setting. During our visit to the cathedral and the historic centre, the layers of history became tangible: from the legacy of Charlemagne to the scars of the Second World War in the Euregio. In this historical setting, we felt like a “miniature Europe”: a lively diversity from South Limburg, Flanders, Wallonia, the German-speaking community of Belgium and the Rhineland. A special gift was the completely unexpected meeting with Fadi Krikor (Meeting of Leaders) and his wife Nicole right inside the cathedral.
Foundations of peace: Adenauer and de Gaulle
An impetus from Klaus Henning reminded us of the “axis of reconciliation” between France and Germany. The work of Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle, after eighty years of enmity and three devastating wars, laid the foundations for a peaceful Europe. This historic reconciliation remains a central pillar and a mandate for the future.
Unity in diversity: praise and intercession
Despite our different traditions and languages – French, Dutch and German – we were united by our clear focus on Jesus Christ. Our time of communal worship was deeply marked by this central theme. At the same time, we prayed for the suffering of the world, especially the people in the war zones of Iran, Israel and Ukraine. With our blessings and prayers, Jeff and Romkje Fontaine (Schuman Centre) left for Ukraine the very next day.
A day that gives hope
The warm hospitality at the Henning home created an atmosphere of mutual respect and brotherly love. The participants’ feedback speaks for itself: ‘It was a wonderful and profound experience of hope!’ Another voice summed up the experience as follows: ‘It gave me great inner joy to be together as a family. Let us continue to pray for one another and ask God for the grace that peace may return to the world. It was a day full of stars!’
by Klaus Henning
Photo: Klaus Henning
by Alberto Lo Presti | 21 Jan 2026 | Experiences, reflections and interviews, Local Events, News
The goal is to bear witness to the unity among Christians in Europe in order to put it at the service of the development of European policies, moving towards reconciliation and peace. In an international context marked by wars, there is a need to draw on the heritage of Christian values to address the challenges of coexistence among the peoples of the Old Continent.
These values, these principles, are contained in the Christian soul of Europe: ‘Reviving Europe: A Soul for Reconciliation’ is the title of the meeting we will hold at the European Parliament on May 13, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The program includes the exchange of experiences among young people, dialogue between representatives of political forces on the theme of international order, and exploration conducted by some experts on crucial issues for continental and global balances.
In the preceding days, on the 11th and 12th, guided tours of the European Union’s institutional venues and working sessions between young people and European policy experts are planned.
To adequately prepare for this event, Together for Europe has planned a series of four preliminary meetings, held via video call, attended by all those who will experience the event in Brussels. During these meetings, mutual acquaintance is encouraged, European citizenship is promoted starting from its cultural and institutional characteristics, and the role of Together for Europe in today’s world is examined.
The schedule of these preliminary meetings:
- Friday, January 16, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
- Friday, February 6, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
- Friday, March 13, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, April 9, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Those who wish to participate in the video calls can register admin@together4europe.org.
Alberto Lo Presti
Photo: K.Brand/Canva
by Together for Europe | 28 Oct 2025 | Experiences, reflections and interviews, News
Twenty-five years ago, something happened that many thought impossible: Christians from different denominations, movements and communities began to listen together to God’s call to unity. These first meetings gave rise to the ecumenical network Together for Europe, which today brings together numerous and varied movements and communities across the continent.
The book “Highlights of Unity” (Sternstunden der Einheit) by Gerhard Proß and Lothar Penners traces this history of reconciliation and spiritual growth, offering numerous personal testimonies of the journey taken together.
This is not simply a chronicle, but an invitation to recognise how faith can transcend boundaries and build bridges, not only between Churches, but also within society.
The volume brings together experiences, reflections and speeches that document 25 years of shared life and invites us, in a time of division, to cultivate a “culture of togetherness”, based on mutual love and the power of the Gospel.
The book will be published in November 2025, initially only in German.
For further information and details (in German), see the page on the Together for Europe website in Germany: click here>>
See also the presentation of the book on the Schoenstatt Movement website: click here>>
by Maria Wienken | 4 Sep 2025 | Local Events, News
We have long felt that our ecumenical network needs more continuous financial support. We realise that we must find new ways to ensure the future of our project.
‘Where the Holy Spirit is, there the Eternal Father opens His hands,’ said Helmut Niklas, one of the co-founders of Together for Europe. In recent years, we have had the opportunity to experience this many times.
We are convinced that even the smallest bricks are needed to build something great. Or, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: A small act done with great love can change the world.
In this spirit, we joined some friends at a village festival in Unterhaching (Munich), which included a flea market. The financial result: 115 euros.
But there’s more… the side effect: we talked about our network, about how to live for a united Europe where brotherhood and peace reign, a need and a necessity that is more relevant than ever.
Although the initiative was small in scale, it was important for us to get involved and show that we are on a shared journey, where even simple acts can make a difference.
Maria Wienken
by Peter Forst | 4 Jul 2025 | Local Events, News
Background
St Matthew’s Church in Munich is surrounded on three sides by the Nussbaumpark and borders Sendlinger-Tor-Platz to the east. A place in the centre of the city and yet surrounded by greenery: an ideal place for a meeting with the theme “Seek the Good of the City”. But the first impression is deceptive. It is not an idyllic place. A homeless man has spent the night on the steps of the Lutheran church and people are always asking for money at the church doors.
In St Matthew’s church, the topic discussed was this city. Exploring the best for this city, with all its contradictions. All over the world, cities are desired places. In a few years, half of humanity will live in cities. And the Christians? ‘Cities grow, but Christians often abandon them,’ Rainer Harter, director of the Freiburg House of Prayer, noted with regret. The TfE weekend had a decidedly different tone with over 200 participants, most of them from Germany, but also from Austria
Facing reality
The title of the event “Seek the Good of the City” is a biblical quote from the prophet Jeremiah. ‘Jeremiah’s words exhort us to accept reality as it is, without deluding ourselves or regretting the “good old days”, but above all without giving up hope for the future,’ said Janina Hiebel, an Old Testament expert, in her talk on Saturday morning, dedicated to an in-depth historical, spiritual and theological study of the title. She continued: ‘Seek the best and pray for the city, the country and the world in which you live, which also means: do not build enemy images, but overcome them. Preserve your identity without isolating yourself. God will allow Himself to be found by you, even and especially in the places you consider to be hopelessly distant from God”.
Deborah Dittmer, head of the Vineyard community in Munich, reiterated the same concept in her speech: ‘We have to abandon our victim mentality. We are not victims! We are not rulers either! We are salt and light for the world! This does not mean that we have to find everything good. But let us choose an attitude of love towards this world, society, people, accepting all existing problems and challenges; no attitude of fear, aversion or isolation’.
The city – a meeting place founded on love
In the main talk of the morning, Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, illustrated how lay and spiritual thinkers have described the city over the centuries: as a place where the opportunities and limits of reason and justice are recognisable; a place that must be founded on love. Only then, according to Morán, connected by video conference, does the city become “a place of encounter between man and God. This is what the Christian vision of the city produces: the passage from rationality to relationality, from the rationale of the individual to the rationale of a community’. Christians, Morán continues, could “commit themselves to building, in the midst of the visible cities of our continent, those ‘invisible cities’ that are true prophetic portents of the Kingdom of God”. Read the full text in Italian>> o German>>
Already on Friday afternoon, during a discussion with ecclesial representatives and a politician, they had discussed what was “the best” for the city and how to recognise it. ‘Seeking the best for the city’ means giving a voice to those who would otherwise have none, helping the poor and weak to be heard, said Markus Grübel, member of the Bundestag from 2002 to 2025 and in charge of the federal government for religious freedom in the world from 2018 to 2021.
Seeking what unites
Jeremiah urged the people of Israel to seek the best for the foreign, indeed enemy, city of Babylon, emphasised Thomas Prieto Peral, Evangelical-Lutheran Regional Bishop of Munich. It is perhaps the oldest appeal to keep the common good in mind. All should be well. And so, according to Prieto Peral, our place is at the side of the people who are attacked, who are afraid, no matter who they are. Christoph Klingen, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, added: ‘Looking for the best means looking for what unites us. In this way, the witness of Christians for the city can shine brighter’.
Inside St Matthew’s church, a large mosaic attracts attention. It depicts the “heavenly Jerusalem”, the city of God. In order to worship and honour this God, the programme included a lot of time for prayer and praise, organised by the “Lobpreiswerkstatt” (praise workshop) of the Immanuel community in Ravensburg. In his homily during the concluding service, Reinhardt Schink, president of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany, asked who had the power to achieve the best for the city. The elephant? The lion? His answer: no, it is the lamb. “On the cross, evil has lost everything. Life unfolds there where there is willingness to give oneself to others’.
The covenant of mutual love, the foundation of Togetherness, was renewed in Munich: “Jesus, we say yes to your commandment and renew our covenant of mutual love. We want to love one another, as you have promised. We pray thee, strengthen our love through the Holy Spirit and be among us, as thou hast promised. Work in us and through us, that we may be a blessing to our fellow human beings and serve the good of society”.
Photos of the event can be seen by clicking here>>.
