![\"Participants](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/whatsapp-image-2026-01-05-at-1_1767606166_b2yvoe.png\")
Participants gather for worship at the MEHR conference in Augsburg, Germany, Jan. 3\u20136, 2026. | Credit: Andreas Thonhauser\/EWTN<\/p>\nParticipants gather for worship at the MEHR conference in Augsburg, Germany, Jan. 3\u20136, 2026. | Credit: Andreas Thonhauser\/EWTN<\/p>\n
Jan 8, 2026 \/ 15:06 pm<\/p>\n
More than 11,000 Christians gathered in the Bavarian city of Augsburg this week for one of Europe\u2019s largest ecumenical faith events \u2014 the MEHR conference \u2014 which its founder says aims to \u201cmake room for God\u201d in an increasingly secular region.<\/p>\n
The four-day\u00a0MEHR conference<\/a>\u00a0(German for \u201cmore\u201d), held Jan. 3\u20136 at the Augsburg Trade Fair grounds, drew participants from across the continent to hear from international speakers \u2014 including American author John Eldredge \u2014 and to engage in prayer and worship.<\/p>\n Led by Catholic theologian Johannes Hartl and the Augsburg Gebetshaus (\u201cHouse of Prayer\u201d), the 14th annual gathering brought together Catholics, Lutherans, and evangelicals under the theme \u201cThe Sound of Joy,\u201d defying trends of declining church attendance in German-speaking Europe.<\/p>\n While most attendees came from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, organizers on opening night welcomed visitors from as far away as Costa Rica, Italy, and Norway.<\/p>\n Ecumenical celebration<\/p>\n The conference opened with prayer and praise. Designed as an interdenominational gathering, MEHR unites diverse Christian traditions and incorporates varied styles of worship.<\/p>\n Auxiliary Bishop Florian W\u00f6rner celebrated a Catholic Mass on Sunday, while Augsburg Bishop Bertram Meier presided at Mass for the solemnity of the Epiphany on Jan. 6. Most worship bands came from evangelical communities, while Lutheran Bishop Tobias Pilz led a Protestant service on Monday.<\/p>\n Prayer is the centerpiece of the conference, transcending denominational lines, Hartl explained in an interview with CNA Deutsch, CNA\u2019s German-language news partner, and EWTN News.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we pray, sing, and speak about him \u2014 when we direct the attention of 10,000 people toward him \u2014 something comes back: his presence, his joy, his peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Finding spiritual resonance<\/p>\n This year\u2019s theme, \u201cThe Sound of Joy,\u201d focused on helping participants tune in to that spiritual resonance.<\/p>\n \u201cParticipants often tell us that when they enter our main hall, their eyes are opened; they receive new hope, new perspectives, and life\u2019s questions find answers,\u201d Hartl said. \u201cWe aren\u2019t doing that \u2014 we can\u2019t. Only God can. But we can make room for God.\u201d<\/p>\n Katharina Achammer, who traveled from Salzburg, experienced this joy firsthand. Having attended three times before, she said she remains impressed by how people from different Christian traditions can focus together on Jesus. \u201cWhen young people pray together, that simply radiates joy for me,\u201d Achammer said.<\/p>\n Hartl defended the scale of the event by emphasizing the unique dynamic of mass gatherings.<\/p>\n \u201cSome things you can only see on a large scale,\u201d he said, comparing the conference to the World Cup: While it doesn\u2019t replace the weekly practice of local church life, \u201csometimes you need these special experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bible, Hartl noted, is full of large festivals \u2014 and the Church marks major events such as World Youth Day and holy years. \u201cWe celebrate a big festival because God is worth celebrating in a generous, beautiful way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While shared experiences are vital, Hartl emphasized that MEHR is not only about emotional experiences. Each year, he includes a theological track to engage scholars on contemporary questions.<\/p>\n \u201cIdeas have long-term consequences,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat a society holds to be true changes everything in the long run.\u201d His goal, he explained, is to shape ideas, not just spread feelings.<\/p>\n Dealing with secular media<\/p>\n The House of Prayer\u2019s influence has drawn negative attention in Germany\u2019s secular media, as\u00a0CNA Deutsch reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n A recent documentary by public service Bavarian Broadcasting scrutinized Catholic renewal movements, portraying Hartl and his team as \u201c\u00a0hip missionaries<\/a>\u201d who, it claimed, stand \u201cwith Jesus against freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the critical reporting, Hartl said: \u201cOver the years, we\u2019ve received plenty of positive coverage. Recently, there was a somewhat critical report \u2014 but if you come here, talk to the people, and soak up the atmosphere, you can decide for yourself whether this is a dogmatic, fear-obsessed, hostile culture \u2014 or a life-affirming, joyful one.\u201d<\/p>\n Speakers and future generations<\/p>\n Chris from Cologne attended the conference specifically to hear author John Eldredge, who spoke on resilience and living in God\u2019s presence. He also enjoyed the Sunday evening concert by the Christian band O\u2019Bros.<\/p>\n \u201cThose two sessions alone made the trip worthwhile,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A separate \u201cMEHRkids\u201d program offered games and age-appropriate catechesis for younger visitors. Eight-year-old Tobias, visiting from Italy with his parents, said his favorite part was the trampolines.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also talked about how we can encounter God,\u201d Tobias said. While the workshops didn\u2019t interest him as much, he still had fun \u2014 and hopes to return next time.<\/p>\n Creating space for 11,000 people to encounter God is no small task. But true to its theme, the \u201csound of joy\u201d echoed through the packed halls of the Augsburg fairgrounds as thousands made room for God at the start of the new year.<\/p>\n This article\u00a0was\u00a0first published<\/a>\u00a0by CNA Deutsch, CNA\u2019s German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.<\/p>\n If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating<\/a> to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> for more information on donating to CWR. Click here<\/a> to sign up for our newsletter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Participants gather for worship at the MEHR conference in Augsburg, Germany, Jan. 3\u20136, 2026. | Credit: Andreas Thonhauser\/EWTN…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":683250,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5310],"tags":[2000,299,1824],"class_list":{"0":"post-683249","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-germany","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-germany"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115862058088513497","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/683250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=683249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Johannes](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/hartl_1767606232_nfyms3.png\")
Johannes Hartl holding up a T-shirt with the ironic \u201chip missionary\u201d title in reference to negative reporting in secular media during the MEHR conference in Augsburg, Germany, Jan. 3\u20136, 2026. | Credit: Andreas Thonhauser\/EWTN<\/p>\n