Former Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller (67) has been awarded the Eugen Biser Prize. The Eugen Biser Foundation awards these at irregular intervals to personalities who are committed to Christian values and inter-Christian dialogue. Former Federal President Horst Köhler was among the guests of honor at the ceremony on Monday evening in Munich.
During his time as Development Minister, Müller saw in people disadvantaged by fate his sisters and brothers, who not only deserve compassion, but also solidarity and help to help themselves, praised Theo Waigel. The former federal finance minister has been a companion of Müller since his youth.
The award winner said he accepted the award “with gratitude and humility for the hundreds of thousands who have dedicated themselves to the culture of helping in Germany and around the world”. He saw the church as the largest peace and development movement in the world.
As the four most important tasks of politics and society, Müller described the preservation of creation, the commitment to peace and reconciliation as well as justice and a world without hunger. “We are leading the planet to the brink of apocalypse.” People lived beyond their means. Müller called for an “ethics of enough”.
The Eugen Biser Foundation is committed to promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue in the spirit of its namesake. The Catholic philosopher of religion Eugen Biser (1918-2014) emphasized values such as tolerance and the freedom of the individual in his theology. He placed the image of the unconditionally loving – not punishing – God at the center of his work.
Previous winners include Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, Norbert Lammert, former President of the Bundestag, and Franz Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach.
