(Bonn, 25.06.2018) Thomas Schirrmacher published his speech at the opening of the religious freedom chair at the Gießen School of Theology (Freie Theologische Hochschule Gießen). In it he thanks the vice-chair of the CDU/CSU in the German Parliament and former health minister, Hermann Gröhe, for the “most momentous rebuke in all my life”.
To quote from the speech: “I especially welcome the former federal minister and leading member of our parliament, Mr. Hermann Gröhe. He has in 1999 – at that time still in the opposition – initiated the first discussion of our theme in the German Parliament and was outraged afterwards, seeing the thin and unreliable data provided by us. His sentence ‘That must change’ had the effect, that professor Sauer and I founded the IIRF, which today has offices on all continents. Dear Mr. Gröhe, my deepest thanks for this most momentous rebuke in all my life, which, in the last analysis, was the key factor for the establishment of this professorial chair. And also the new office of the Federal Government Commissioner for International Freedom of Religion, which is held by Mr. Markus Grübler, whom I warmly welcome in our midst as well, has its final origin in this instance.”
Links to the complete speech by Thomas Schirrmacher as well as to photos from the introductory event of the “professorship for religious freedom and research on persecution of Christians” at Giessen School of Theology (FTH) can be found below.
Downloads and Links
- Welcoming address of the World Evangelical Alliance on the opening of the new professorial chair “Religious Freedom” at the Freie Theologische Hochschule in Gießen, Germany, on May 18th 2018 (pdf)
- Photo 1: (from left) Hermann Gröhe, Heiner Bielefeldt, Thomas Schirrmacher © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 2: Hermann Gröhe at his lecture (close-up) © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 3: Hermann Gröhe at his lecture (hall) © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 4: Heiner Bielefeldt at his lecture © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 5: Markus Grübel at his lecture © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 6: Permanent Secretary Manuel Lösel, Ministry of Culture, at his lecture © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 7: Prelate Prof. Dr. Helmut Moll in his lecture © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 8, photo 9, and photo 10: Christof Sauer at his lecture (close-up) © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 11 and photo 12: Christof Sauer at his lecture (hall) © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 13 and photo 14: Stephan Holthaus at his lecture © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 15: Thomas Schirrmacher at his lecture (close-up) © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 16: Thomas Schirrmacher at his lecture (hall) © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 17: Front row (from left): Jürgen Werth, Thomas Schirrmache, Helmut Moll, Manuel Lösel, Hermann Gröhe, Markus Grübel, Heiner Bielefeldt, Susanne Geske © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 18: (from left) Heiner Bielefeldt, Markus Grübel, Christof Sauer, Hermann Gröhe, Thomas Schirrmacher, Manuel Lösel © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 19: Christof Sauer and Thomas Schirrmacher in conversation with Prelate Prof. Dr. Helmut Moll © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Photo 20: Christof Sauer and Thomas Schirrmacher with guests of the Syrian Orthodox Church © Martin Warnecke/IIRF
- Website of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF): https://iirf.global
