Counter-violence is justifiable while Christian pacifism is untenable, the latest memorandum states
The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has renounced its long-held pacifist stance in its latest peace memorandum, stating that violence is sometimes necessary to counter violence.
The remarkable announcement by the federation, which represents some 17 million members, comes as the German government pushes to beef up the country’s military in the face of a perceived “Russian threat.” Moscow has repeatedly denied harboring aggressive intentions toward any NATO member state.
The ‘Peace Memorandum 2025,’ which was presented at the church’s synod on Monday, marked a “clear reorientation of Protestant peace ethics,” the EKD stated.
“As a universal political ethic, pacifism with its categorical rejection of violence cannot be ethically legitimized,” the document proclaimed.
“Violence must be contained – if necessary, with counter-violence,” the memorandum further clarified.
According to the document, “security policy uncertainties” dictate that Germany must “substantially expand our own capabilities for national and alliance defense.”
The latest memorandum constitutes a clear break with the previous document adopted in 2007, and a later paper issued in 2019. Back then, the EKD advocated countering a hypothetical aggressor with civil resistance. It also called on the German government to allocate 2% of the country’s GDP to civilian conflict resolution, in an apparent nod to NATO’s military spending target at the time, which has since been hiked.
In a separate development around the same time as the synod, a group of activists announced plans to hold a nationwide day of action across Germany on December 5. The organizers said they would be protesting the government’s “war preparations and the massive arms buildup.”
In recent months, German officials have repeatedly floated the reintroduction of mandatory military service, citing the dire personnel shortage in the armed forces. The draft in the country was abolished in 2011.
Earlier this year, Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to transform the Bundeswehr into the “strongest conventional army in Europe.”
Commenting on Germany’s rearmament drive in September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that there are “clear signs of re-nazification” in the country.
