Diakonie Deutschland has recently celebrated its annual reception “Wichernempfang” with more than 170 guests from churches, civil society, the academia, and local institutions in Berlin. This year’s event had the title “social cohesion and participation in Germany’s immigration society” and discussed opportunities of a diverse Germany, as well as challenges related to immigration. The president of Diakonie Deutschland, Ulrich Lilie, emphasized the special role of churches and Diaconia in increasingly multicultural neighborhoods and societies. Across the country, Diakonie Deutschland establishes opportunities for contact and mutual understanding among newly arrived people and the local population. They provide cohesion and social networks for all people living in Germany. The evening’s keynote speech by Ali Ertan Toprak, head of the German Immigration Associations, addressed the current state of liberal democracy.

The event concluded with a presentation and awards for applied diaconial research. Melissa Henne, a researcher at the Institute for diaconial research of Church University Wuppertal/Bethel was awarded the Wichern-Prize for her ethical reflections on technological assistance in the work of dicaonial service providers.

 

To know more about the “Wichernempfang”, check our member’s website.