Former President Barack Obama plans to speak at a forum in Berlin with Chancellor Angela Merkel to share their ideas about global responsibility in an increasingly inter-connected planet.

The topic of discussion will be ”Being Involved in Democracy: Taking on Responsibility Locally and Globally” at a forum sponsored by the German Protestant Kirchentag and the Obama Foundation to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

“The churches form a global civil society network of over two billion Christians. Together, as people of faith, we live from the firm hope for a better world,” said Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, a theology professor who is helping coordinate the conference.

The event will take place at the Brandenburg Gate, not far from Obama’s first major international speech in Europe as he campaigned for president in 2008.

During that speech, Obama noted that “the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together.”

“I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen – a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world,” he said as he opened his speech.