There is rumor around, that I kissed the hand of Pope Francis or bowed to his ecclesiastical authority. This is fake news. Below you find the half a minute cut out from the streaming of the event, out of which some cut a screenshot giving a different impression. After the event, when saying farewell to the Pope, we talked to each other in a very noisy situation, so that I put my ear close to his mouth. How it looks like, if someone kisses the hand of the Pope, can be seen by watching the person following me.
By the way: for me as a very tall German to bow down out of courtesy makes only sense, if my head is lower than the other persons head (or even lower). Many cultures will understand this. The following photo showing me greeting the King of Sweden is a good example. (For more details see Bishop Schirrmacher greets the King of Sweden.)
Here is the full text of the event organized by young people around major problems of our world, plus the prayers by the non-Protestant leaders: Together – Ecumenical Prayer Vigil. Here are the prayers alone: Together – Raduno del Popolo di Dio. The written versions prove, that there was nothing typically Catholic in any of the prayers. The 20 non-Catholic leaders praying would not have accepted prayers contradicting their beliefs. All studied the text carefully beforehand.
The 2019 dialogue document between the Vatican and WEA about “salvation”, is friendly in tone, but crystal clear about the differences and deep gulp in theological questions, see the whole issue in the Evangelical Review of Theology around the document.
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