3 places of faith visited in Cologne

Whether Christianity, Judaism, Islam or Buddhism - there are many religions, but they all have one thing in common: a place where people gather to communicate with God in their own way. This can be a church, a temple, a mosque or a synagogue. Last Sunday, the participants of the day excursion to Cologne organised by the Beckum Interreligious Dialogue Working Group were able to visit three large places of worship in one go.

The group first visited the synagogue in Roonstraße, which also serves as a religious and cultural centre. Religious services are celebrated here, but religious education also takes place here. There is also a kindergarten, a primary school, a youth centre, a kosher restaurant, a ritual immersion bath and a museum.

We continued on to the central mosque in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, which opened in 2018. The mosque itself is a glass building to make it clear that the Muslim community is transparent and open to all. Here, too, there was a very informative guided tour. Afterwards, the excursion participants were able to have lunch in one of the many Syrian and Turkish restaurants in the shopping centre below the mosque.

The third and final stop on the excursion was Cologne Cathedral, the third tallest church in the world. At the end, the participants agreed that they had experienced a thoroughly interesting excursion, during which many similarities between the religions became clear.

Interested in getting involved?
Anyone interested in joining the Interreligious Dialogue Working Group should contact the City of Beckum's Integration Manager Marei-Liselotte Radke: radke@beckum.de, 02521 29-5015.