by Arneb » Sat Sep 30, 2023 3:51 pm
Pfr. Uwe Holmer died on 25 September this year, aged 94.
He was a GDR citizen, and as a reverend, that automatically meant he had a difficult life. He served several parishes, mostly in the North of the GDR before becoming head of the Lobetaler Anstalten, which was the largest institution in the GDR (despite being church-run) caring for the physically and mentally disabled. None of his 10 children, despite good or very good grades, were allowed into high school, let alone university. Holmer and his family were under constant Stasi surveillance and, not infrequently, direct pressure: To work as informal collaborators, to divulge communications under confessional secret, etc.
As you might know, Erich Honecker was taken into custody in the course of the "Turnoaround" (Wende) period in 1989. He was released for health reasons in January 1990. At that point, the former nomenklatura homes in Wandlitz had been seized, and the former Secreetary General and his wife literally had nowhere to live. Holmer freed up tow rooms in his service residence in Lobetal, and had them move in. During a 10-week period, Holmer cared for his guests, spending evenings with them, sharing meals and an occasional drink, fended off journalists, etc. His answer to questions why on Earth he did this was simple: Love thy enemy. And: Hatred is not a good basis for a new beginning in our people. He held steady under sometimes viscious attacks of the "no forgiveness" crowd.
The Honeckers (his wife, Margot, had been the GDR's long-time Education Secretary and was a particularly vitriolic ideologue) eventually escaped justice in the GDR by retreating to a Soviet army base, from where they were flown to Moscow. After re-unification, the deal with the Soviet Union to withdraw its troops in exchange for a lot of money and some face-saving guarantees included delivering Erich Honecker to German justice. I don't remember if his wife returned to Germany to be at his side during his trial, but she later went to Chile, where a daughter lived. When Erich was finally released for health reasons, he joined his family in South America for the short rest of his life.
Non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem