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Swiss Remember Anabaptists in Year of Special Events

LANGNAU, Switzerland — A service at the Protestant church in this town marked the beginning of the Anabaptist commemorative year in this canton's rural Emmental region.

More than 200 events will recall the persecution of Anabaptists — divided mainly into Mennonites and Amish today — which began during the Reformation and did not end until the early 19th century. They include plays, exhibitions and excursions throughout Bern and neighbouring cantons in northwestern Switzerland.

"We, as the indirect successor to the political authorities of that time, regret the injustices done to so many and the suffering caused," said Werner Luginbühl, president of canton Bern's government, during the opening ceremony on Saturday, March 24.

It was in this part of Switzerland that the authorities brutally repressed the Anabaptists, who challenged the 16th century reforms of Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, one of the Swiss leaders of the Reformation.

For their refusal to accept the new state-run church, and insistence on adult instead of infant baptism, Anabaptists were subjected to imprisonment, torture, expulsion and execution.

Persecution continued at least until 1810 in Switzerland but lasted only a few decades in the Netherlands, which also had a sizeable and influential Anabaptist community.

"We can't undo what was done, but society can learn so that the mistakes are not repeated," said Luginbühl. "The focus of this event should be on building bridges."

Official reconciliation between Switzerland's Protestant and Mennonite churches happened in the 1970s, but Anabaptist history has remained a "taboo subject," according to Fritz von Gunten, principal coordinator of commemorative events.

“We'd prefer to talk about success and positive aspects of the past rather than dark chapters," said von Gunten. "There are Anabaptists living in the Emmental today who are well integrated into their communities, [but] the population knows very little about their history."

Von Gunten said he has been overwhelmed by the number of projects submitted for inclusion in the official program designed to raise awareness of the past.

“It is amazing what public attention the 'year of the Anabaptists' generates,” said Markus Rediger, Mennonite World Conference Executive Committee member for Europe, who was at the opening ceremony in Langnau. Many newspapers published news of the event and bookstores that usually don't sell Anabaptist books are ordering an Anabaptist guide, published in German. French and English translations are in progress.

The country's existing Anabaptist community is uneasy about suddenly finding itself in the spotlight, said Paul Gerber, president of the Swiss Mennonite Conference. The challenge for Mennonites today is to remain true to their faith despite this new attention, he said.

Gerber reminded the audience that while Anabaptists no longer suffer because of their beliefs, people are still being persecuted in Switzerland. His statement was a veiled reference to the fate of asylum seekers who are not burned nor drowned like the Anabaptists of the 16th century but are often rejected by authorities.

There are 14 Mennonite congregations in Switzerland with about 2,500 members and an estimated 600,000 descendants of Swiss Anabaptists live in North America.

Visitors from abroad are encouraged to attend an international gathering in the Emmental from July 26–29. For more information online, visit www.anabaptism.org (organisers of the year of the Anabaptists) and the homepage of the Swiss Mennonite Conference, www.menno.ch (French and German).

— From a report by Dale Bechtel