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In Fulda Cathedral, Bishop Gerber addresses the passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Losses are not the end, but the beginning.
Fulda – “Loss and crises are increasingly shaping our time, in personal life as well as in society and politics.” Bishop Dr. Michael Gerber interprets the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday in Fulda Cathedral as a decisive turning point, like that Diocese of Fulda stated in a press release sent out in advance.
Fulda Bishop speaks on Good Friday about dealing with loss
“A variety of things are currently breaking down at the same time that we took for granted for decades,” noted Michael Gerber, referring to peace in Europe, the stability of alliances and the unity of the European Union. At the same time, terror and violence are increasing and social polarization is increasing.
The sociologist Andreas Reckwitz describes these developments as “escalation of losses”. Certainties are disappearing, certainties are dissolving and social tensions are increasing. Modern society has long tried to avoid experiences of loss through social and medical progress.
“There is hardly anyone today who looks at the next generation and says: My child will one day have a better life than me,” is how the Fulda bishop describes the changed mood on Good Friday. These experiences of loss not only shape the present. Even the early Christians suffered from persecution, expulsion and the loss of home and loved ones.
However, they dealt with these experiences differently. “What is the reason why you move around this world so differently despite your diverse experiences of loss?” Gerber asked, emphasizing that this question is still relevant today. The bishop found the answer to this in the Gospel on Good Friday. The Passion of Jesus represents a “blatant and multiple experience of loss.”
Betrayal, violence, the breakdown of relationships and the loss of security and self-assurance are central themes. But exactly where the ground seems to be pulled out from under everyone's feet, God is laying a new foundation. What shapes Christianity to this day begins on the cross. New relationships emerge, community is created.
At the moment of death the spirit is given. The connection between Mary and the favorite disciple John is an example of this new beginning. “The presence of the crucified Christ in loss gives us the experience that loss is not the end, but that it is precisely here that the germ of new growth is given to us,” explained Gerber.
Fulda Bishop calls for “Culture of Humanity”
This knowledge is not an abstract religious idea, but a reality from which Christians have drawn strength for centuries. “This is not just a pious idea, but reality,” emphasized the bishop. Gerber also referred to his personal experiences from his illness in 2025. He learned anew what power lies in faith in the crucified and risen Christ.
From this perspective, Gerber also has a mission for the present. Christian faith is not limited to one's own experience, but rather opens one's perspective to others. In times of crisis and loss, it is about creating a “culture of humanity”.
At the end of the liturgy, Gerber invited those celebrating to come to the cross with their own experiences of loss. That’s where you decide what wears. “We find support in him, on his cross. His spirit gives us decisive strength.” The musical design of the Good Friday liturgy in Fulda Cathedral was carried out by the cathedral choir under the direction of cathedral conductor Franz-Peter Huber.
From Palm Sunday to Easter Monday, Fulda Cathedral becomes the center of Holy Week – with festive music and special liturgies. Read a large overview of the central church services of the church year during this time. Michael Gerber and Auxiliary Bishop Prof. Dr. Celebrate Karlheinz Diez.
