these kings and queens of ancient egypt have lain in wait for thousands of years but they may have to wait a little longer before tourists flock back. you're watching the news coming up next reporter looking at churches offering a last chance for asylum michael okuda in berlin please stay tuned for more news at the beginning of the next hour. more than a 1000 years ago europe witnesses a huge construction boom. christianity from established itself. both religious and secular leaders or to display their power.

to trace the good. and create the tallest biggest and the most beautiful structures. this is how massive churches are created. conscious the cathedral starts april 12th on d w. pastor gertrude martin's gives blessings in farsi the language of iran his church is open to among others refugees slated for deportation this may be their last chance for. a from iran and of afghanistan as christians they were persecuted in their own countries and even face the death penalty they ought to be allowed to stay in germany says pastor martens for years he's acted in defiance of the german courts

of i'm not worried about that in the least then they should just send me to prison . when berlin's church of the holy trinity was built a century or so ago the basement was meant to be used as a fellowship hall but now it's become home to refugees most of them from iran and afghanistan protestant pastor dr godfried martins has granted them church sanctuary the immigration authority and the police don't get past the door. now we're entering an area that at present not even the church members are allowed into so we can maintain the security of. reason but i think also here in this area there is a quarantine room for newcomers. when they come to us they have to go into

quarantine for 14 days before they can live in the community or with the others. that someone is in there now oh no he's done and another ones and only one person has just been released and now the other one goes in. you know. the big fellowship area only a little spaces left. on this side we have the sleeping quarters where our church refugees can spend the night. nothing can and. this is a room with a kitchenette a little fellowship room it's a kind of living room for the refugees from the increase in. the rooms generally housed 10 men are so they are all slated for deportation and only allowed to remain in germany until their data arrives most of them profess a christian faith and actively practice it. that means they pronounced islam and

act punishable by death in iran the right comes from tehran knows he cannot return to iran he's trying to adjust to life in germany and learn the language we feel forced to leave. the east the. east. to. believe. in iran i wasn't allowed to press christianity officially learn more about christianity at that your thora tease would have arrested or killed me. call with and. the only opportunity i had to be active in it was through the internet and my own research and i was a member of a home congregation and i remember and i would hear you so much when it all came out that i received threats and my family came under pressure they intimidated me.

more sure that you should wear those. in the church has gained a reputation for his delicious soup. when he fled iran he passed to bulgaria and romania and eventually arrived in germany. to put up was what. he knocked on the church door and pastor martens let him in. the nose of. the big guy told the hungry person jesus loves you and then sent them away without giving them something to eat so if i saw someone whose life was in danger and didn't take action. it would if i did that i'd completely destroy my own credibility. even in germany christian converts often live dangerously in the refugee shelters there are radical muslims

who see converts as a past hate infidels and threaten the course this is what happened to alice a lot of afghanistan. i'm out of those i had a roommate at the refugee shelter who was a muslim. who started when he saw me wearing a cross. it was disrespectful to me and threatened me. reported it to the shelters managers and they warned him that the threats didn't stop. even trying to throw me out the window on the 5th floor and jump out going to point over the past 15 years well over a 1000 refugees have found sanctuary with pastor martens now they make up the majority of his congregation most of the german members are getting on in years many of them help out the refugees with learning german for example often converts

ask the pastor to baptize them 1st they have to attend a preparation course regularly among the child picks at the christian doctrine and differences to islam at this session they discuss the church position on divorce the neil fights complete the course with an exam. kinds a this is no a guaranteed pass. i've had some courses where over half the students fail and only when these people have convinced me beyond any doubt that they seriously desire to become christians and that they understand why they want to become christians and i baptize them if somebody were just to say i want to become a christian because i think islam is silly that's not reason enough for me to baptize them since we're told. they're rock and elissa law both attend the preparation course at the church regularly they hope to be ready for their baptism by easter night the principal church service before the resurrection of christ.

as a federal. i am already looking forward to the exam because i can get baptized afterwards i can be born again into a new eternal life so i'm really looking forward to it. no. i don't think up to some exam will be hard for me so if i know my thoughts are completely focused on the baptism that i'll be born again. receive the peace i have always sought after in my life but even if they do convince the pastor that they quite seriously desire to become christian that means little to earth or it is the decision on asylum applications is made on a case by case basis and is often anything but transparent. is it again and again i'm just stunned at this arrogance the decision makers and judges display when they say things like yes the pastor overlooked it for years but with

them just 2 or 3 hours we figured out that something wasn't right here to. the assumption is that refugees are just pretending to be christians to get asylum. or the german immigration authorities may see it that way. but to me that's what's most important is that in my heart i'm a christian. more. i'm not alone with my christian faith us so i've already experienced that back in iran. and while i'm a c.e.o. but too often that fails to impress the authorities and the asylum seekers often hear cynical arguments as to why they are to be sent back to their home countries that god lets them just last week i read a transcript of a hearing where at the end the decision maker said these are you say that you believe in eternal life then it shouldn't be any problem for you to go back to iran

and actually been sentenced to death because then you get eternal life and that you should aspire to it but common wish to be so we read stuff like that week after week. that was a direct quote the cynicism and unfairness only served to spur pastor martens on in his efforts as a rule germany tolerates the churches granting sanctuary to asylum seekers to save them from deportation currently that totals about 500 people in germany even so time and again legal action has been taken against clergy who offer sanctuary in their churches. i'm not worried about that in the least then they should just send me to prison a good thing compared to what's in store for our people in iran and afghanistan even a prison in germany is still a luxury. the.

pastor martin visits ideal in an iranian who was paralyzed in an accident. by dean can't come to the church so the pastor administers communion to him at home . 35 year old i.d.n. had already come in contact with the christian faith in iran but that drew the attention of the authorities to him the muslim clergy have openly stated that they see the biggest threat to iran's internal security in underground christian communities meanwhile more and more iranians are taking ideas view of islam the state religion. is in iran because by that the relationship will get my gaze and we can't leave to be to give form because you should marry is. it's not cool if

you own muslim and change your religion it's very very devout. a service at the church of the holy trinity the refugees have come up from below to join him but because of the pandemic only a very few worshippers who registered in advance are allowed to take part. ringback dollars 58 year old pastor martens preaches and farsi it's become routine for him he's taught it to himself over the years he has no family of his own he's devoted his life entirely to working for his congregation . the next step for elisa law and the roddy's baptism. our. home of my future lies in the wholeness of jesus christ more than at the through

he'll have a good plan for my life again will i trust all that. man. doesn't mean you know i've had problems to deal with since my early childhood but yeah of course but when i look back now i know that jesus christ has always helped me. from the song by way of the baptism i want to be with him always on the phone but for the on the way so i think that's a kind of a shop. so often in the mean time both have passed their baptism exam if the pandemic allows they'll be baptized into the christian faith on easter night but whether that will convince the authorities to grant them asylum is another matter. the.

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