Hesse: sign of solidarity with Ukraine for Bonifatiusfest

Fulda (dpa/lhe) - For the traditional Boniface Festival, Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda wants to set a sign of solidarity with the war-torn Ukraine on Whit Monday (June 6).

Hesse: sign of solidarity with Ukraine for Bonifatiusfest

Fulda (dpa/lhe) - For the traditional Boniface Festival, Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda wants to set a sign of solidarity with the war-torn Ukraine on Whit Monday (June 6). The festival is under the motto "Steer our steps onto the path of peace," said the diocese of Fulda on Wednesday. The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Exarch Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh is a guest. The Ukrainians currently living in the diocese of Fulda are also invited to participate.

The two bishops Dzyurakh and Gerber want to take part in a pilgrimage together: Like many groups from Fulda and the surrounding area, they want to make a pilgrimage on foot early in the morning to Fulda Cathedral, where the Bonifatius festival begins at 10 a.m. with a pontifical mass. A service on the cathedral square and a concert at the cathedral dechanei are planned. All communities are called upon to address the guests from Eastern Europe and to take them with them to the Fulda Cathedral Square, explained Gerber. "In this way we can set a symbolic sign together that many Christians - regardless of their origin - are on the way together." He is also looking forward to walking together with Bishop Dzyurakh, who will say a word of welcome.

The pontifical mass will be musically arranged by the cathedral organist Hans-Jürgen Kaiser and the youth cathedral choir under the direction of cathedral music director Franz-Peter Huber. At the end, Bishop Gerber will donate the traditional reliquary blessing to all believers with the Boniface relic. The pontifical mass will also be broadcast live on the Internet.