Drewermann: As a Christian, one is suspected of being a Putin-interpreter

In Germany, pacifist demands are no longer considered legitimate, according to theologian Eugen Drewermann. "Whoever pleads for talking to each other in Ukraine is slandered in all media as Putin-understanding and justifying the war of aggression," he said at a lecture in Osnabrück on Wednesday evening. Even representatives of the German government denigrate peace demonstrators, said the 83-year-old, who described himself as a pacifist.

Invited by the Osnabrück Peace Initiative, Drewermann outlined correspondences between historical conflicts and those of the 21st century in the Middle East and Ukraine in his lecture on the "Westphalian Peace as a Model for Today". An important lesson of the peace negotiations of 1645 to 1648 was: "Peace can only be achieved if people talk to each other. War is the result of not listening."

Unfortunately, the delegates in Münster and Osnabrück 375 years ago did not talk about the causes of the multiple conflicts, criticised Drewermann, who is also a psychoanalyst. Only when parties to a conflict listened to each other could they understand the respective motives of aggression. Violence - whether personal or inter-state - is a "symptom of an unresolved inner conflict that cannot be talked about".

Major mistake of the West

This has been a major mistake of the West, led by the USA, over the past 30 years. In addition, there was its own insincerity, for example in the Iraq wars or in the bombing of Libya, said Drewermann. Nato and the West had behaved in the way they reproached others.

"As a Christian, is one suspected of being a Putin-understanding person if one appeals for peace?" asked Drewermann. Church representatives, too, mainly refer to Ukraine's right to self-defence, which is then used to justify further armament and more victims. Pope Francis is the only one who expresses a somewhat different view, but he is hardly listened to.

With his lectures, Drewermann wants to help insecure people, as he emphasised. "Ask yourself: Who am I myself? Look into heaven and into your heart. No chancellor can tell us what to do. You have to obey God more than people." (KNA)