From May 6 to 9, 2026, the Third China-Germany Interreligious Consultation was held in Berlin, Germany. The event was jointly hosted by CCC&TSPM, the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany, and the Protestant Church in Germany. Under the theme “Religious Arts and Architectures in Context”, representatives from religious communities in both China and Germany engaged in in-dept discussions on religious culture and exchange.

The twelve-member Chinese religious delegation included representatives from the Chinese Association of Religious Studies, China Religious Culture Communication Association, as well as Buddhist, Islamic, Catholic, and Protestant organizations. The delegation was led by Rev. Xu Xiaohong, Chairperson of National TSPM.

At the opening ceremony, Rev. Xu Xiaohong reviewed the history of interreligious consultation between China and Germany, highlighting the role of religious arts and architecture as cultural ties. Rev. Xu expressed the hope that the dialogue would further deepen friendship, build consensus, and contribute to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Representatives from German religious communities and the World Council of Churches highly appreciated the significance of the consultation and called for strengthened interreligious exchanges to promote peaceful coexistence.

During the event, the two sides had thematic discussions on religious architecture, music, painting, calligraphy, grotto art, paper cutting, and textual translation. To better understand the religious diversity in Germany, they also visited places of worship such as Protestant churches, Catholic cathedrals, mosques, and synagogues.

The dialogue helped enhance mutual understanding and trust between religious communities in China and Germany, strengthen the mutual learning in religious arts, and promote the exchange of religious culture between two countries.

The Chinese delegates stated that this exchange would serve as a new starting point to further enrich forms of exchange, expand channels of communication, and deepen friendly interactions with German religious communities, thereby advancing China-Germany interreligious consultation in a solid, steady and sustainable manner.

Translated and edited by Bei Yu