Rome, Italy, Nov 9, 2009 / 16:51 pm
In an article this week, the Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, recalls the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which took place November 9 and 10, 1989. The article also expresses the hope that “the memory of the evils of the past serve to avoid evils in the future.”
The article, written by Lucetta Scaraffia points out that “Berlin celebrates, on its streets and in its squares, the anniversary of the fall of the wall: everywhere there are signs that recall those days, preparations for concerts and festivals and an immense work of art: a virtual wall, composed of colorful pieces that will fall like dominos on the night of the anniversary.”
“Germans are truly happy to finally be able to celebrate something positive,” the article continues. “Dozens of errors have now been paid for and there is a great deal to celebrate: a reborn city such as Berlin, that is beautiful and full life of life, is now a center of attraction for young people, artists and intellectuals from all over Europe, who sense the energy of the future here —perhaps unique among all the European capitals.”
After noting that Berlin experienced Nazism and Communism “in a terrible way” in the 20th century, LOR’s article explains that Germans recall the event with great intensity and with the hope that “the memory of the evils of the past will serve to avoid evils in the future.”
The article then mentions that portions of the wall still stand in memorial to the historic events of 1989, and that some museums and historical places still offer pieces of the wall for purchase. In 1990 the sale of wall fragments raised thousands to help East Germany’s fledgling health care system.
LOR also states that the fall of the Berlin Wall was an “extraordinary symbol” of “the obstacle to freedom and the hope of the human being which political utopia represents.”