Moment of silence in Owingen on Saturday

From the July 8, 2002 Suedkurier newspaper of Ueberlingen, Germany

by Roland Burger

Out in the west the rain clouds dissipate. As if in consolation the sun sends its rays down to the silent crowd of mourners who walk down Kreuz Street from the Owingen St. Peter and Paul Church on Saturday evening.

Led by Mayor Gunther Former and his wife, by Catholic reverend Reinhard Schacht, his Evangelical colleagues Hartmut Dietrich and the theologian staff member of the Mennonites, Cathrin van Sintern, several hundred of the faithful proceed to the area where countless victims of the airline catas trophe have been found.

The words they heard in church are still ringing in the ears of the nearly silent mourners, "Lord, You have shaken me out of my tranquility," and "The mercy of God is not exhausted, it arises newly every morning," said Rev. Schacht, clearly expressing not only the pain, but the consolation of the local residents, and hopefully also the relatives of the 71 deceased.

Schacht's words towards all the Scientology members who went about their unholy work in Owingen were also extremely clear, "Where there is carrion, the vultures gather ..."

Mayor Gunther Former thanked the rescue workers for their service, thanked the Lord for the wholeness of the local people, and communicated the thanks of the volunteers to the citizens, who supported the rescue workers according to their abilities. Herbe rt Dreiseitl also paid his respect to the rescue workers; he said they had made possible an "internal constitution of serenity and security" for the citizens by their diligent work.

Serenity. It is something palpable in the march after the church service, which was accompanied by the church choir, the Schmitt-Bohn string quartet, Paul Lohr on the organ and Christine Hoegl on the harp. So many people paid their respect to the deceas ed by their calm. Only the birds twittered. The colorfulness of the funeral wreathes at the end of the way reflected the many facets of the rainbow. And in fact, the last beams of the sun rested magically upon the phenomenon, making a seeming bridge fr om earth to heaven.

That was consolation, too.

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