wfn.org | Lutheran World Federation Approves Agreement with Roman Catholics

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

June 19, 1998

LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION APPROVES AGREEMENT WITH ROMAN
CATHOLICS
98-22-137-FI

     GENEVA (ELCA) -- By a unanimous vote here June 16, the 48-member
council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) approved the "Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" with the Roman Catholic
Church.  The Joint Declaration ends 400 years of condemnations on the
principal doctrinal dispute of the Reformation, that salvation is a gift
from God through grace, not something humans earn through good works.
     The Joint Declaration was circulated among the LWF's 124 member
churches, and the council acted after a "significant majority" of the
churches approved the document.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) approved the declaration at its churchwide assembly in August 1997.
     Of the 89 churches that responded, 80 said "yes" to the declaration
and five said "no."  The Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg,
France, which analyzed the responses, said four responses were difficult to
interpret but four seemed to approve and one reject.  Approval came from 91
percent of the churches responding, which represent 54.7 million Lutherans
or 95 percent of the Lutherans in LWF member churches.
     "It's a big day for the Lutheran world," Swedish Archbishop K.G.
Hammar told reporters.  "The reasons for the rift of the 16th century are
no longer applicable for our present moment."  Hammar chairs the LWF's
Standing Committee for Ecumenical Affairs.
     LWF President Christian Krause said he hoped the decision would be
"an encouragement for congregations to keep pushing for further unity."  He
said the "debate on justification went far beyond church offices and
theological faculties.  There is more awareness in congregations now than
before about the doctrine of justification.  This is the first time this
doctrine has been so widely discussed in Lutheran churches."
     Both Protestants and Roman Catholics issued condemnations of each
other during Reformation times.  The Joint Declaration asserts that though
there still remain some differences on the understanding of justification,
the differences are not substantial enough to warrant the condemnations.
     The text of the resolution approving the declaration said, "On the
basis of the positive responses of the said majority, the agreements
regarding the doctrine of justification as presented in the Joint
Declaration be affirmed, and that on the basis of these agreements the
doctrinal condemnations in the Lutheran confessional writings regarding
justification be declared not to apply to the teaching of the Roman
Catholic Church as presented in the Joint Declaration."
     The resolution also asked Lutherans to explore with Roman Catholics
the "pastoral consequences of the agreements."  Though there have been
three signed letters of agreement regarding the Joint Declaration, the
Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church has not yet taken final action.  When
approved, details for a joint signing of the declaration would be worked
out.
     The LWF Council expressed concern for those Lutheran churches that
had said "no" or had not yet responded.  "In light of the comments and
concerns expressed by the churches in their responses, the need for further
common investigation [should] be emphasized, both of the consequences of
this doctrine for specific areas of teaching and practice in the church,
and also of the controverted topics within the doctrine of justification
that arose during the reception process," it resolved.
     The council asked LWF General Secretary Ishmael Noko to report in
1999 on a plan of how to deal with the controversial issues that came up
during the churches' discussion of the Joint Declaration.  It asked that
the plan be drawn up for action both "within the LWF and together with the
Roman Catholic Church."
     Noko said that, after approval by the Vatican, Lutheran churches
would be encouraged to translate the declaration into local languages for
further study.  Having agreed on a statement about justification, the
general secretary noted, further Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogues could
tackle more difficult theological issues and focus on ethical issues as
well.
     The LWF is a global communion of Lutheran churches.  Founded in Lund,
Sweden, in 1947, the LWF now has 124 member churches in 69 countries
representing more than 57 million of the world's 61 million Lutherans.  The
LWF central offices are in Geneva, Switzerland.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html