Tuesday, 05. March 2024

Honorary Doctorate for EMS President Detlev Knoche

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Senior Church Councillor Detlev Knoche, Chairman of the International Mission Council of the EMS, has received an honorary doctorate from the prestigious Henry Martin Institute (HMI) in Hyderabad. Knoche received this special award for his services in promoting inter-religious dialogue. The honorary doctorate was conferred on him during a ceremony at the Henry Martin Institute.

The Henry Martin Institute (HMI) is an ecumenical institute in the state of Telangana, India, dedicated to the study of religion and the promotion of interfaith relations and reconciliation. Founded in 1930, the institute serves scholars from India and abroad for master's, doctoral, and post-doctoral studies. EMS has supported HMI's research and reconciliation work for many years. A joint international study program is being prepared.

In his acceptance speech, Knoche emphasized the responsibility of religions for peace: “We understand peace and peace-making as an indispensable part of our common faith. Peace is inseparably related to the love, justice, and freedom that God has granted to all human beings through Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit as a gift and vocation.“

Detlev Knoche is a pastor of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau (EKHN). From 2009 to 2014, Knoche headed the Ecumenical Center of the EKHN. In 2015, he was appointed director of the newly created joint "Zentrum Oekumene" of the EKHN and the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck (EKKW). In this position, he has maintained a partnership with the Henry Martin Institute for many years. Knoche has been a member of the EMS Mission Council since 2012. After four years as vice-chairman, he was elected chairman of the EMS International Mission Council in 2022.

Dr. Dieter Heidtmann, General Secretary of the EMS, congratulated Dr. h.c. Detlev Knoche on his achievement: "The promotion of interreligious dialogue and understanding between religions has been a lifelong commitment of Detlev Knoche. We are delighted that he has received this recognition for his work over the past decades.

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