Looking back. Looking ahead. 2020-2025

POLITICS AND SOCIETY | SPEECHES   163 Director of the Bavarian Memorial Foundation since 2007.   The fact that our memorials are so well resourced today and have developed so strongly is due in large part to his efforts. He has consistently secured funding from all Ministers of Finance and State Governments over the years. And not only funding – he has also earned their respect. My sincere thanks to both of you for your dedication. And one final thought: There are people who ask, “Can there really be a God?”… “How could something like this ever hap- pen?”… “How can any of this be explained?”… “How can we find hope in such darkness?”… These questions are inevitable.What helps me is the knowledge that even in the darkest times, when it seemed as if darkness might swallow everything, there were still glimmers of light – in the stories of those who survived and in the courage of those who helped, in small acts of compassion shown even when the regime demanded the opposite. Those stories give me hope and remind me that humanity cannot simply be destroyed. That hope endures. Democracy and humanity are not finite resources. They are universal virtues and remain the essence of what makes us   human – and what we must defend together. That is why to- day is not only a day of remembrance, but also a powerful call to action. And so I call upon each and every one of you – let us work on this together. It is an honour for me to be here today! And so, in closing, let me say “thank you” for forgiveness.   Not for forgetting – but for forgiving. Thank you for the friend- ships and partnerships that have been rebuilt after all that happened. I honestly do not know whether I would have been capable of such forgiveness if my own family had been affect- ed or if I had experienced such suffering myself. All of you have shown great generosity of heart – and you continue to show it by being here today. A heartfelt Vergelt’s Gott to you.