Overview

• Bishop Peter Kohlgraf’s Easter homily in Mainz emphasized the festival’s focus on life, death, and eternity, offering hope through faith in the risen Christ.
• Easter is presented as a festival of radical hope, providing confidence during crises such as wars, climate change, and institutional challenges within the church.
• Philosophical perspectives on hope range from critiques by Hans Jonas and Günther Anders, who warn against passivity, to Ernst Bloch and Vaclav Havel, who frame hope as an ethical principle.
• Kohlgraf urged Christians to accompany others in all life stages, live as ‘people of hope,’ and seek the hidden God in Christ.
• The message of Easter is seen as vital for rebuilding trust and solidarity within communities, especially as German churches confront past scandals and institutional struggles.