Sister Ortrud Fürst

Thoughts on Current World Affairs

This is the edited transcript of the pre-recorded presentation by Sister Ortrud Fürst delivered to Panel 1, “Stopping the Doomsday Clock—The Common Good of the One Humanity,” of the Schiller Institute’s Nov. 22 conference, “For World Peace—Stop the Danger of Nuclear War: Third Seminar of Political and Social Leaders of the World.”

Ortrud Fürst is a Sister of the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She spoke in German, with English translation provided. The full proceedings of the conference are available at the Schiller Institute website.

I am Sister Ortrud Fürst. I come from Aalen in the German state of Württemberg. I joined the Dominican Missionary Sisters in Schlehdorf in 1963. Originally, I wanted to go to South Africa to the mission, but an illness held me back, and besides, I was needed in the administration, because I came from the administrative side. Later I was called to Munich to work with the homeless, first in a women’s house that we founded, and later in a house for men and women.

It could be, after all, that the governments of all countries are concerned with humanity, mindfulness, justice, and truth; that swords will be turned into plowshares and that all nuclear weapons on Earth are disposed of; that the longing of so many people for liberation, love and peace finds fulfillment; that all enemy images must die; and that all the religions respect each other as sisters and brothers.

It could be, after all, that the people on our Earth may experience how beautiful it is to share with each other and to take care of Your creation. Then we will experience that You, living God, are very close to us, all the days of our lives until the great encounter with You. It could be that this is true.

Thoughts on the Present World Situation

On that subject, many competent and also war-experienced politicians, military officers, scientists, and peace researchers have already taken a stand. They are very worried about the threatening escalation of warfare, especially now in the proxy war in Ukraine between the USA-NATO, and Russia, and see an approaching further world war, even a nuclear war, looming on the horizon.

There have been several mediation efforts of the conflict parties in different places of the world, which always contained negotiable results for a pacification of the war and gave hope—especially the Minsk Agreements. But then, everything suddenly collapsed again. The reasons for that became clear only later, after documents and statements became known, which showed that already before the negotiations there would not be any agreement, or that suddenly acts of sabotage were attributed to each other.

It is well known that truth dies first in a war, and propaganda flourishes. This game has been tried so often that we see through it more rapidly today than in earlier decades thanks to some media, which are committed to the truth and at least to some kind of reality.

It is downright scandalous that vast sums of money can suddenly be spent for warfare, although the poverty of many peoples and nations of the world cries out to Heaven, while these nations are exploited and kept down by the so-called powerful states in several respects. Also, in Europe, poverty is spreading rapidly, often due to political measures: the middle-class fights for its survival; likewise also larger enterprises, not to mention small enterprises which disappear almost silently. Especially the German, but also the other European economies are the focus of attack, which is to be damaged among other things by being led into an energy shortage and thus led to ruin.

Given this anti-human and anti-ethnic approach, the “Golden Rule of the world religions” came to my mind, which is expressed in the following peaceful thoughts:

The “Golden Rule” in Christianity: All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. (Matthew 7.12; Luke 6.31)

In Judaism: Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you. Rabbi Hillel.

In Buddhism: A state that is not pleasant or pleasing to me, neither shall it be to him. Samyutta Nikaya.

Chinese religion: What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to other people. Confucius.

Islam: None of you is a believer unless he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself. Sayings of Mohammad.

All spiritual beings from all these religions and beyond who are concerned with the creation, and all people who look with gratitude at this wonderful Earth of ours and rejoice in it, are invited to bring about what is possible for them, so that this wonderful world of creation may continue to exist for the joy of mankind.