titian's are responsible for ensuring that we create a foundation a value. that we preserve this for it is crucial if we are to coexist peacefully within a country and between states as well. i'm going to start. with the state must preserve human dignity and protect it and apart from the other freedoms in our constitution freedom of religion is something that must be protected and in germany that people live and work with various different views different religions and we must be open for one another and often be there for one another and take responsibility for our public good because this is a basic prerequisite for us as

a society to develop the way we need to and this means to ensure the cohesion of our society and. it almost sounds there now but it really is you know it is the result of us. with a learning process that has lasted over centuries sometimes very painfully so and we know in. the history of the reformations we didn't start peacefully at all we know that it began after a great deal of conflict between religions that brought a great deal of suffering through all of europe that these conflicts also led to a search for humane sustainable solutions for how the various different faiths could live together from. the reformation contributed directly to ensuring that there be a secular structure. of the state that guaranteed freedom of religion we know that

the discovery of freedom of every christian that was part of the reformation didn't mean freedom of religion and certainly wouldn't of accepted it. for the reformation . near as it was impossible to imagine that different views of faith and the truth could parallel could exist parallel to one another so it was very much part of the middle ages and there is. even incitement to hatred on most of other cultures particularly against the jewish faith was contemptible and typical the first time and i'm pleased that in the last year we have engaged with some of these dark sides of the reformation as well centuries of learning have led to where we are now in open society globalized world where we can speak about the need for tolerance those in favor of diversity must

practice tolerance this is what history has taught us on this continent for what we learned with effort that the basis of peaceful coexistence here in europe is tolerance we learned that tolerance is the soul that is the basic principle of any open society for without intolerance we cannot have an open society yet in the globalized world accepting plurality dealing with heterogeneity and religious and cultural diversity is a major challenge. even in today's world we experience that across the globe where. freedom of religion is suffering society and social development suffer as well. just history teaches just how important it is to. sure that freedom of religion and tolerance are. hand in hand

and this also means that even if a conviction of faith and those of other people are in conflict we must understand that for others these beliefs clearly and this is why we must ensure that everyone live in accordance with their own religious convictions without suffering any discrimination. but at the same time and this is something we must be clear about this can only work if we. stick to the rules and regulations that are true and valid for all in another word in another way of putting it tolerance. where human rights. ignored or destroyed. thank you political.

obviously for the politicians. very much responsible for raising awareness about standards and values but the church plays a very important role here tonight with its optimistic message to mankind the church can. make us more aware of the need to coexist above and beyond really just boundaries that often we do not know enough about one another and whether it's ignorance there is often. discrimination and misunderstanding which is why interfaith dialogue is so important and interfaith encounters as well interfaith dialogue can only really be successful if we are certain of our own faith and on the basis of this we are all the more confident in engaging with other religions and i believe. that religious education

is important against this background and the many events in the reformation here and in the years before that have shown this particularly the protestant church congress here in germany and spring religious education whether it happens at home in religious education where or part of studying theology is important for the entire community it brings together religious communities education institutions and to the media and affects all of us religious education was a key part of what you drove with the reformation by translating the bible martin luther contributed to developing the german language and made the holy scripture accessible user society as a whole to everyone thanks to the printing press the bible was suddenly something everyone had access to the core aspect of faith was there and. all the leavers were able to inform themselves and to be informed citizens

in their own faith because once they could read the bible themselves and this led to a new responsibility for education in society education went beyond theological issues and was seen as an important basis for all walks of life. and it was so important for martin luther. talked about. you your the youth being well educated and said that well educated youth would protect the city is because they said he said that the youth and well educated citizens would be the very best way protecting cities and society. so that's the start. of. the reformation ushered in an interest in education with the printing press suddenly. the scum of

the hearts of society who would never have had access to education before were suddenly being educated this led to a completely new perspective for individuals development and whole swathes of society equal opportunities education for everyone and they put in says education for the public good are still something we all talk about and remain incredibly important in this begins with children who go to. nursery and school every little boy and girl should have every opportunity to learn regardless of their family background and that some children require more support to learn than others particularly if they don't get much support at home the children from families who have fled their homes and gone through terrible deprivation and suffering need particular support as well and after children finish

school there's the question of further training in educational learning a trade and it's not just about ensuring that the institutions are well equipped but it's important to ensure that there is a certain per me ability so that it's clear which children need to go to university and which need other training education remains incredibly important. digital changes also changing these things and it is crucial that we also train young children and young people. in critical thinking as well in a sense digitization is much like the printing press was then in the huge amount of information that we're bombarded. with means that many people are seeking an orientation something to hold on to some seek to withdraw into their own fortress or only listen to their own echo chambers and because the risk of this is

perceiving the world in a very selective way it's not enough to understand how to program computers or. feel at home in.