Catholics gathered in the central German city of Erfurt celebrated Corpus Christi mass outdoors on Thursday in front of the imposing 12th century Erfurt Cathedral.
Erfurt Bishop Ulrich Neymeyr led the service on the Catholic feast day, which was dedicated to the motto of the 103rd Catholic Day conference, "The future belongs to the man of peace," which comes from the Books of Psalms.
"Commitment to justice and peace - this is something we urgently need, both in society and in politics," said Neymeyr.
Among those attending the service was Bodo Ramelow, the left-wing state premier of the German state of Thuringia, which includes Erfurt.
Unlike in some other parts of Germany, Corpus Christi is not a public holiday in Thuringia, where the Reformation icon Martin Luther spent much of his life. The region is traditionally Protestant and also sits in the former communist East Germany.
Around 20,000 German Catholics are expected to make the trip to Erfurt for the Catholic Day events, which opened on Wednesday and will continue through Sunday.
Rain storms in the forecast for the coming days could force changes to the schedule, as many of the events are held outdoors.
Catholic leaders addressed far-right politics ahead of the mass. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been polling particularly well in Thuringia, as well as other parts of the former East Germany, and is expected to make strong gains in upcoming state parliamentary elections in September.
"In this secular city, in the difficult situation before the state elections in Thuringia, we want to make the diversity of Catholic life visible in the coming days," said the leader of the Central Committee of German Catholics, Irme Stetter-Karp, before the start of the service.
