Dresden (dpa/sn) – The Saxon state bishop Tobias Bilz has called for trust in God and humility in view of the current crises. Christian charity should not be based on expectations, “but on one’s own possibilities,” he wrote in the pastoral letter on Reformation Day (October 31) to employees and volunteers. In it he asked at the same time “to be merciful to one another and to make the church a place where things are humane”.
On Reformation Day, Protestants around the world commemorate the publication of Martin Luther’s 95 theses against the Church’s sale of indulgences in 1517. With his criticism, he initiated changes that later led to the emergence of the Protestant Church. In Saxony and eight other federal states, the day is a work-free day, which is celebrated in Protestant communities with church services and concerts. “On the Reformation Day we make sure of the roots of the church,” said Bishop Bilz. “At the same time, we ask what comes of it in our challenging times.”