Werner Leich

Werner Leich is a Protestant clergyman. From 1978 to 1992 he was the bishop of the Evangelical Church in Thuringia, for the greater part during the era of the German Democratic Republic.[1]

Peace prayer in the Johanniskirche in Gera; left priest Joachim Urbig, right Werner Leich

Life

Leich was born in Mühlhausen on January 31, 1927. From 1942 to 1945 Leich was a voluntary member of the German Luftwaffe with the rank of Fahnenjunker. He volunteered to "battle for the salvation of Germany". After World War II he finished his school and from 1947 he started studying theology at the University of Marburg and Heidelberg University.[1]

In 1951 he started his career as a clergyman. A year later he married Trautel, with whom he has a son and daughter.[2] Since 1960 he was a member of the Synod of the Evangelical Church. He was vice-president of the synod from 1967 to 1978 and bishop of the state of Thuringia from 1978 to 1992.[1] In that year he retired.[3]

Great part of his career, he had to deal with defending worshipping god in an environment of the anti-religious doctrine of communism. He described it as "a lot of times we did hide being Christians.[3]

Awards and honors

In 1984 he received the Four Freedom Award for the Freedom of Worship[4]

Autobiography
  • 1992: Wechselnde Horizonte. Mein Leben in vier politischen Systemen. (in German)
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References
  1. Pietzsch, Henning Die Evangelische „Kirche im Sozialismus“ (in German)
  2. Evangelische Kirche in Mitteldeutschland
  3. Chronik der Wende, biography
  4. http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/four-freedoms-awards
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