Today, close to the Colosseum, in the Park of Colle Oppio, people can find the new "Piazza Martin Lutero", homage to the father of the Protestant Reformation. To discover a plaque dedicated to the "German theologian", the mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino. For the mayor, dedicate a square to Martin Luther "means that Rome has to respect every religion and faith. 'It is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice' Einstein said. Today we have shattered prejudices."
The ceremony took place after a meeting between the mayor and a delegation of German MPs of the CDU group on "challenges and relationship with the refugees at a local level ". Dora Bognardi, promoter of this project and Associate Director of the department for Public Affairs and Religious Liberty of the Adventist Church in Italy, introduced the 'historical' event. The event was attended also by the Consulta of Evangelical Churches of Rome, the Lutheran Pastor Jens-Martin Kruse, the mayor of Eisleben ( the birthplace of Luther) Jutta Fischer, Michael Kretschmer, deputy chairmen of the CDU / CSU Bundestagsfraktion.
Among other several dignitaries present: the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Italy, Susanne Wasum-Rainer, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Holy See, Annette Schavan.
Among the participants, there was also a group of people who traveled from Lutherstadt Eisleben - hometown of Martin Luther - to Rome. Torsten Lange Klemmstein travelled to Italy in order not to miss this event and today was presented at the ceremony dressed in cassock, a black hat and white shirt as Martin Luther. "I wanted to be here on this important day," he commented. Stefano Paris, President of the Italian Union of Seventh-Day Adventists, commented: "This is an important day for the Adventist Church in Italy too. We have promoted this project and we will continue to promote any initiative that focuses on God's Word and God's Love. Today, in Rome, we were reminded on one of the main theological principles that Martin Luther proclaimed: 'Sola Scriptura'".
