Evening star., 1950-01-29
This Week in Religion
By RELIGIOUS News Service

NShStS0S t<GWS SCtFt(S
The Rev. Martin Niemoeller, the
German Protestant leader, is
spearheading a campaign for uni
4lcation of Germany.
AS part of his campaign he
has made what many German
churchmen consider to be rather
startling statements.
Preaching at a church in Wies-
baden thsi week, DR.. Niemoeller
said, There are no Germans in
Berlin any longer, only Americans
and Russians" He explained that
anyone in Berlin who does not
profess to be an American is re-
sarded as a Russian"
Unfavorable Comments Made.
His remarks brought unfavor-
able comment from leaders of the
Christian Democratic Union.
DR.. Niemoeller recently said that
unif1cation of Germany under COM
munism was preferable to the pres
ent East-West split. He proposed
that the United Nations take over
the German occupation and re-
store the nations unity.
In another statement, Pastor
Niemoeller said the Evangelical
Church in Germany must remain
neutral in the East-West conflict
and not identify itself with the
West.
The German churchman ex-
pressed this view in Church and
Culture, organ of the Norwegian
State Lutheran Church. He was
rebuked in the same journal by
Bishop Eivind Berggrav, Primate
Of the Norwegian Church.
Freedom or Tyranny.
ITO us Christians" Bishop
Berggrav said, "the point is not
to choose between East and West,
but between freedom and tyr
amy. If the West stands for
freedom and justice, while the
East continues its tyranny, the
position of the church is clear"
Although Protestant leaders
criticize his statements, his uni
fication plea is supported by
prominent churchmen.
Last month, Evangelical Bishop
Otto Dibelius of Berlin criticized
the division of Germany into
Eastern and Western states as
insanity" and asserted that "only
generous decisions (by the occu-
patton powers) can abolish ira
ditional resentment and recon-
eile peoples"
Previously, evangelical bishops
h the Soviet zone adopted decla-
ration affirming the nations unity.
1t said their church does not
recognize any separation of East
and West Germany.
Council Claims no Connection.
Last week. the Council of the
Evangelical Church in Germany,
ranked as the top Protestant
authority in Germany, formally
disassociated itself from DR..
-Niemoeller's statements, declar-
ing they were made on the clergy
mans own responsibility.
Repudiating DR.. >Niemoeller's
plea for neutrality in the East
West conflict, the council clearly
assailed policies of the Eastern
government which infringe upon
) human dignity and freedom"
At the same time, the council
said the church cannot recognize
an iron curtain resulting from
policies Of occupation powers, be-
cause "this curtain constitutes a
permanent threat to peace, thus
teopardizing mems freedom"
Joint Fight Waged.
Turning its attention to report
ed changes in the traditional Pro-
testant-Roman Catholic balance
In Western Germany, the council
declared that both Protestants
and Catholics have fought jointly
against "the assaults of anti
Christian forces" and said this
fact must continue to be a basis
for today's denominational rela-
tionship."
However, the council added that
"this does not release us from the
duty Of watching seriously shifts
in denominational balance"
The Councils comment was
prompted by DR.. Niemoeller's
charge that the ceding of Prot
estant territory east of the Oder
River to a Catholic state Poland)
as well as the developments in
Western Germany, have consider
ably weakened the position OF
German Professionalism"
Catholics Powerful.
One assertion DR.. Niemoeller
made was that the number OF
Catholics in Chancellor Adena-
uer's cabinet was out of proper
tion to the influence of Catholics
in Western Germany. An official