In Darmstadt (Germany) Chiara Lubich met some Lutheran pastors who wanted to know about her spirituality rooted in the Gospel. Thus began a fraternal relationship of ecumenical dialogue. “Until 1960 – recalls Chiara Lubich – as we were Catholics and had no knowledge whatsoever of Christians of other denominations, we thought that God had raised up the movement for the Roman Catholic Church. None of us thought about ecumenism (the plans for this Movement are in God, not in people); but in 1960 we met some Lutherans. We told them about our experience, above all we loved them. They became extremely interested” [1].
Chiara Lubich at the inauguration of the Ecumenical Citadel in Ottmaring (Germany) on 23 June 1968. The ecumenical centre in Ottmaring, twelve kilometres from the city of Augsburg, now offers an ecumenical witness recognised by the respective Churches, organises ecumenical schools with Catholic and Evangelical teachers, and is available to host individuals and groups.
