Deeply rooted in his faith, Bishop Christian Krause was a pioneer and staunch supporter of Christian unity. After years of consultation with the Catholic Church, he was able to sign – for the Lutheran World Federation – the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification on 31 October 1999. On that historic day he met Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. ‘She and Card Miloslav Vlk suddenly found themselves in front of me and a very special relationship began. I got to know the charism of unity, Jesus in the midst…,’ he recounted in a telephone conversation a few days before his death.

In 2004, together with 55 bishops from various Churches, he took part in the first big event organised by the ecumenical network Together for Europe in Stuttgart. The previous evening – towards the end of the Collaborators’ Congress – he took the stage with the curial Cardinal Walter Kasper and looking at the hall, crowded with 2,000 people, said: ’I was overwhelmed with emotion. My heart was filled with gratitude as I looked into the hall and knew: these people are all my sisters and brothers!’ (cf. Neue Stadt, 6/2004)

From then on, Bishop Christian accompanied the journey of our network with great fidelity. For him it was a ‘new ecumenical restart’ on the path to Christian unity. On the occasion of Cardinal Kasper’s 85th birthday, he said in a speech at the German Embassy to the Holy See in Rome: ‘In the meantime, the path from conflict to communion has continued on many levels. One of these levels is the spiritual Movements and Communities which, with reference to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, are increasingly coming together across national and confessional boundaries to develop new ecumenical community actions, such as, for example, Together for Europe.’ (cf. Rammler, Christian Krause: Weite Wagen, p. 302).

His encouraging speeches, which he repeatedly addressed to the Friends of the network, remain unforgettable. They were innovative, often prophetic. At the recent meeting in Graz-Seggauberg, his audio message was one of the highlights for many of the 200 participants. Among other things, he said: ‘When the meeting takes place in Graz, there will be an even stronger desire for unity among the younger generations than before. This desire is not only expressed within the Church, but in general. We are disintegrating, Europe is disintegrating in a shocking way. But so are the new partnerships and groupings of a political and economic nature and so on, the new wars going on… That is why it is once again extremely important for Christians to realise that unity is their mandate. It is their gift. So: the charisma of unity, Jesus in the midst. This is enough, these are the pillars. Therefore, Christians, forward please. This is Graz, this is my hope!

One young participant commented: ‘I’m taking over this baton!’ And like her, many others took up the legacy of Bishop Christian Krause.

We are aware that in his passing away, we lost a man who experienced in his life the boundless love of God. His message of Christian unity as a response to the needs of our time remains alive among us. It is painful to lose such a beloved and wise friend, but we are grateful for such a blessed life he shared with so many.

Dear brother Bishop Christian, we treasure in our hearts your last appeal: ‘Go forward, you are on the right path!’ We remain united with you in believing that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

Maria Wienken