Bishop Huber,

Bishop Wagle,

Bishop Clemens,

Director-General Schaefer,

Ms. Lührmann,

Mayor Schubert,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

100 years ago, the Norwegian union with Sweden was peacefully dissolved, and Norway became an independent nation, with its own royal family and its own diplomatic service. On 31 October 1905, Germany was among the first countries that recognized Norway as a sovereign state. This year we therefore celebrate both the Norwegian centennial anniversary and the centennial anniversary of German-Norwegian diplomatic relations.

The history of relations between the Norwegian churches certainly points further back than does the history of our diplomatic relations. It may be just an interesting coincidence that the German recognition of Norway took place on Reformation Day. Anyway, the heritage from Martin Luther remains one of the pillars of Norwegian culture and constitutes an important link to Germany.

The Norwegian theologist Inge Lønning once pointed out that the Norwegian Constitution contains the name of only one single person, Martin Luther’s, if only indirectly as an adjective. In paragraph 2 it says – unchanged since 1814- that the evangelical-lutheran religion remains the official religion of the Norwegian state.

However, religious influences from Germany made their way to Norway long before the Reformation – already at the time where Norway was converted to the Christian belief. According to the saga-literature, the Danish king and his Norwegian vassal Håkon Jarl, were forced by the German emperor in the year 974 to let themselves be baptized. The Emperor shall also have sent German noblemen and ships loaded with weapons and warriors, in order to force through the Christianization of Norway. I will not make any judgment as to the historical correctness of this presentation. Another saga tells the same story with two Danes in the leading roles. There is no doubt, however, that important initiatives that contributed to the Christianization of Norway originated in what is now the German territory. The Norwegian dioceses belonged to the archdiocese of Bremen until 1103.

When we this year focus on the plurality of German Norwegian relations, the relations between our churches have a natural place and should be celebrated accordingly.

It is my great honor and pleasure to do this in cooperation with the leading Bishops from our two countries. Please allow me to extend a warm thank you to Bishop Huber and his colleagues in the Headquarters of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Without your knowledge and engagement this Project would not have been possible to realize. It is our hope that this service will inspire to exploit our common history and values in order to create even closer relations for the future.

Thanks also to the Church of Potsdam and the Friedenskirche for your hospitality. No church could be better suited as a frame for this service, than the Friedenskirche, which has the word “peace” in it. The dissolution of the Swedish Norwegian union could have ended in war – but it did not thanks to intensive diplomacy. Efforts in order to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts occupy an greater role in international cooperation. The role that the church and other religious communities can play as bridge builders between cultures to promote dialogue and tolerance should not be underestimated.

Music is in a special position when it comes to building bridges and crossing borders. Not the least, I would therefore like to express my gratitude to the Residenz Orchester Berlin and its Norwegian director Jon Bara Johansen. The orchestra has accompanied us through the evening with a German-Norwegian program. Mr. Johansen also deserves a special thanks for having contributed considerably to the realization of this common service.

Dear Guests, I am happy to see so many of you here tonight, and would like to wish you all a nice continuation of the evening.