Four days before Coventry Cathedral was destroyed in Germany\u2019s 1940 bombing of the city, its Provost, Dick Howard, prophetically prayed at its Remembrance service that after the war, British and Germans would be \u201cunited in the bonds of Christian love and work together as friends.\u201d\u009d Six weeks later, his broadcast from its ruins urged \u201ca more Christ-Child sort of world\u201d\u009d post-war.<\/p>\n
His sublime vision of the Cathedral as beacon of reconciliation for a broken world, simply yet profoundly expressed in \u201d\u02dcFather, forgive\u2019 on its memorial altar, remarkably became core mission of the new cathedral consecrated in 1962, its dramatic architecture symbolic of Crucifixion and Resurrection, destruction and peace. Landmark tourist attraction and show-piece of mid-20th century religious art, Coventry Cathedral became Britain\u2019s most celebrated centre of post-war Christian renewal through experimental engagement with secular worlds \u201d\u201c industry, education, community relations, the arts \u201d\u201c and courageous dedication to British-German reconciliation and subsequent global reconciliation ministry.<\/p>\n
As someone much involved in 1960s-early 1970s with the cathedral\u2019s student and global ministries, and the city\u2019s trans-European \u201d\u02dctwinning\u2019 links \u201d\u201d for Dresden very complementary \u201d\u201d I welcome two publications on the achievement and challenge of Coventry\u2019s reconciliation mission.<\/p>\n