Germany is mourning the death of one of its outstanding Protestant Christians. Former President Johannes Rau died January 27, aged 75, after a long illness.

Rau, who was President from 1999 ­ 2004, came from an evangelical family, was well versed in the Bible and often seasoned his speeches with quotes from the ³book of books². He was affectionately known as "Brother John".

President Horst Koehler described his predecessor a "believing and happy Christian". Rau felt that he was sustained by God and trusted in Him.
"This attitude may comfort us", said Koehler.

Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Rau ­ one of her political opponents - not only for his achievements but also for his lifelong motivation "Reconcile ­ do not divide". Rau had proved to be "a great friend of his fellow human beings". And this attitude was deeply rooted in his faith, Merkel said.

As the leader of the main line Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Bishop Wolfgang Huber, commented, Rau¹s witness had encouraged many in their faith. The Protestant Church had lost a clear voice in church and politics. The chairman of the Roman Catholic Bishops¹ Conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, also praised Rau¹s contribution to church and society.

The Protestant Church in the Rhineland, Rau¹s home church, where he was a synod member for nearly 35 years, paid tribute to his outspoken faith and political achievements. Church President Nikolaus Schneider also spoke about Rau¹s efforts to bring about reconciliation between Jews and Christians and Germany and Israel.

In his youth Rau was a member of the Confessing Church, which opposed the Nazi regime. Later he became a friend of Israel, and was the first German President to address the Knesset, Israel¹s Parliament, in the year 2000. He held his speech in German and pleaded forgiveness for the Holocaust. Israel¹s President Moshe Katsav called Rau "a great friend of the state of Israel and the Jewish people".

Rau comes from the reformed tradition of Protestantism tracing its roots to the Swiss reformer John Calvin and others. He eventually found his political base in the Social Democratic Party. Rau was Prime Minister of the most populous federal state, North Rhine-Westphalia, from 1978 ­ 1998.

Former President Gustav Heinemann (1899-1976) was his political "foster-father". In 1982 Rau married Heinemann¹s granddaughter Christina Delius, who is 25 years younger. They have two daughters and a son.