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Now that the Luther Decade has reached half-time, the
question has arisen as to which function the anniversary in
2017 should fulfil. Is its main purpose to raise its own deno-
minational profile or can it be used to honour the ecumenical
movement? At the beginning of the decade, little thought was
given to collaborators from other religions or countries when
it came to appointing the committees and initiatives charged
with preparing for the anniversary. They are represented neit-
her on the board of trustees nor in the steering committee.
At least however a Catholic theologian was later appointed
to the academic advisory board.
The spectrum of positions within the Catholic Church is also
very broad, ranging from rejection of the idea of joint celebra-
tions – on the grounds that the division of the Church and the
loss of the Church's unity are no cause for celebration – to ur-
gent calls for dialogue and cooperation. The theses of Gerhard
Feige, bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Magdeburg,
call for an attempt to gain a joint, cross-community under-
standing of the Reformation and its impact. Pointing to the
gestures of reconciliation between the Catholic andOrthodox
Churches in 1965, this Catholic bishop from the heartland of
the Reformation seeks a concrete sign of repentance and
forgiveness from the separated Churches. Joint declarations
on the understanding of the Reformation have already been
announced by diverse ecumenical bodies, for example the
International Lutheran Council and the Pontifical Council for
the Promotion of Christian Unity. After initial tensions, a joint
penitential service is now in planning for 2017, as a "healing
gesture" between the Catholic Church and the Protestant
Churches.
From an ecumenical perspective, the Catholic view of the Re-
formation as a tragic division of faiths and loss of Church unity
has its place among the pluralist interpretations of the Refor-
mation. However the ensuing history of religiously motivated
conflict and wars also forms part of the commemoration
agenda. The dissenting Protestant movements – for example
the Anabaptists and the Puritans – which were persecuted
and marginalised by Catholic and Reformation authorities
alike point to a different aspect of the remembrance of the
Reformation: the dark side of the religious conflicts such as
the acts of violence, forced migrations and even executions
to which thousands of dissenters fell victim. In addition, the
anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 will take place in a
society in which many people no longer maintain existential
ties with the Christian religion or the ecclesiastical institutions
that represent it. Furthermore, even the identities of many
Christians are shaped less and less by traditional religious
perspectives.
Reformation Free-Zone
In this context, the project "Freiheitsraum Reformation"
(Reformation Free-Zone) represents an attempt to take a pi-
oneering approach to commemorating the Reformation and
its wide-ranging historical impact. The project, launched by
the University of Oldenburg in cooperation with numerous
partners fromthe areas of science, religion, culture and society,
provides a unique platform for schools, citizens, initiatives
and communities. The participating institutions use innova-
tive communication strategies to examine the Reformation
in its entirety in North-West Germany and its relevance for
society today. In a series of concerts, lectures, exhibitions,
school projects, academic conferences and excursions, plays,
concert lectures, internet presentations, installations and
debates, they discuss, analyse and present different aspects
of religious-cultural pluralism. The project aims to raise the
pressing questions of religious diversity and tolerance, reli-
gious affiliation, and the role of religion and cultural values
in shaping identity. It aims to encourage critical thinking and
dialogue. This approach paves the way for the anniversary of
the Reformation to become a "free zone" where people can
come together to question, remember and adopt traditions.
