Theology in Conversation with Politics: "How to Deal with the Ongoing Crises"?

The first event on December 7 at 7 p.m. in the festival hall of Erfurt's city centre is entitled „Frieden durch Abschreckung“ (Peace through Deterrence) and deals with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This attack has brought new questions to the table, many of which were considered relics of times past: Is peace a mere utopia? How can it be secured? Does it require military deterrence? What can a realistic peace ethic look like under the conditions of the present in a globalized world? Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Vice President of the "Bundestag"), Dr Peter Rudolf (Senior Fellow in the America Research Group of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs) and Professor. Elke Mack (Social Ethicist at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Erfurt) will discuss these questions. The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has also been asked to attend.

+++ Attention, the event on 11 January unfortunately has to be postponed, we will announce the new date in due time! +++

The topic of the second event on 11 January is "Citizens' Trust in Democracy".  It also begins at 7 p.m. in the festival hall of Erfurt's city centre and is entitled "Dem Staat (noch) vertrauen?" (Still trust the state?).
The so-called "hygiene demonstrations" were not only directed against the measures taken to contain the Covid 19 pandemic; they also revealed a fundamental distrust of state institutions. In parallel with this and the war in Ukraine, conspiracy myths are gaining momentum. Is parliamentary democracy in Germany losing its most important asset: the trust of its citizens? How can a basic mistrust be countered? Carsten Schneider (Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany), Professor Mario Voigt (Chairman of the CDU Parliamentary Group in the Thuringian State Parliament), and Professor Marianne Kneuer (Professor of Political Systems and System Comparison at the Technical University of Dresden) will discuss these questions.

Admission to the events is free of charge, and registration is not required for participation.