Behind the Iron Curtain

Malcolm Bell writes about a project of reconciliation in Dresden

by Malcolm Bell 6th May 2016

Friends are probably unaware of a remarkable reconciliation project in the early sixties in Dresden that was initiated by Coventry Cathedral and associated with their ‘Cross of Nails’ forgiveness symbol. The initiative, which was stimulated by the German Sühnezeichen project to atone for their action in world war two, has been commemorated in two books by academic Merrilyn Thomas: Communing with the Enemy: Covert Operations, Christianity and Cold War Politics in Britain and the GDR and Stepping off the Map: Memories of a Cold War Adventure. Both recognise the central role of a Quaker, Paul Oestreicher, who is also an ordained canon in the Church of England.