THE diocese of Worcester has had a partnership
with Magdeburg, in eastern Germany, for almost 22 years. Many
parishes in the two dioceses share individual friendships. Late
last month, Bishop Ilse Junkerman, the Bishop of the Evangelical
Church in Central Germany, of which the area of Stendal-Magdeburg
is a part, came to Worcester so that she and the Bishop of
Worcester, Dr John Inge, could recommit themselves to the
partnership.
The agreement is that the two dioceses will continue to share
worship and services, and conferences and meetings, as well as
develop new areas of co-operation. They hope to do more to involve
schools and colleges, and remember together events of common
European history, including the commemoration of the start of the
First World War this year.
Dr Inge said that it had been "very affecting to discuss with
our German friends how best to commemorate the First World War, and
to do so on the day after the anniversary of the almost complete
obliteration of Magdeburg by Allied bombers in January 1945".