The Hessen-Nassau church president Volker Jung has defended the climate activists of the "last generation".
They should "not simply be criminalized," said Jung on Friday before the church synod meeting in Offenbach.
They are “young people who are deeply moved and very consciously choosing the path of peaceful civil disobedience” to warn of the life-destroying consequences of global warming.
In addition, they repeatedly reflected on the proportionality of their protest measures, the church president added.
He considers the church dialogue with the "last generation" not only "desirable" but "mandatory".
The climate activists had been heavily criticized for roadblocks, color attacks on famous paintings and most recently for paralyzing flight operations at Berlin Airport.
In front of the 120 delegates from the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau (EKHN), Jung also supported the demands of the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) for a speed limit on German roads.
It is about promoting a voluntary commitment to comply with a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour on motorways and 80 kilometers per hour on country roads when driving in a church context.
Jung emphasized that it was important for the church to deal "intensively with the challenges of climate protection" because of its message, which also includes the mandate to cooperate in the preservation of creation.
This also includes mobility.
It's not about installing a "climate police" on motorways, but about consciously dealing with climate protection and taking action yourself.