wfn.org | Vatican's response to Joint Declaration to be carefully examined

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

First Protestant responses to Roman Catholic statement

BRUNSWICK/HANOVER/BENSHEIM, Germany/CHICAGO/GENEVA, 9 July 1998 (lwi) -
President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Christian Krause, has
called for a careful unhurried examination of the Vatican's response to the
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and for a comparison
with the June 16 action of the LWF Council. Only just such an analysis will
show whether ecumenism has suffered a setback, Krause told the German news
agency Evangelische Pressedienst June 26. It will then remain to be seen
whether a "bridge" can be found that would make the planned signing
possible.

A difficult point, according to the Brunswick bishop, is the Vatican's
calling into question of the authority of the Lutheran consensus. The
Lutheran side agreed that the member churches would take the decision on
the adoption together and Rome is aware that its partner is not a second
Vatican.

VELKD Bishop Horst Hirschler taken aback by Vatican response

The presiding bishop of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
(VELKD), Horst Hirschler, says he considers it surprising that an official
text from Rome presents the achievement of an ecclesial doctrinal decision
within the communion of Lutheran churches as a problem. The Lutheran side,
he says, has considerable problems with the way doctrinal decisions are
made on the Roman Catholic side. If, however, each side is interested in
seriously talking to the other, decision-making procedures must be
respected on both sides, otherwise the conversation will be stopped before
it has even begun.

Hirschler also expresses surprise that, on issues fundamental to the
Lutheran understanding of justification - that the doctrinal condemnations
of the Tridentine Council no longer apply - the Vatican now suddenly
reverts to before the Joint Declaration statement. "A serious change has
taken place as the Vatican has not followed the statement of the Joint
Declaration on all points, that the doctrinal condemnations of Trent no
longer apply to the Lutheran partner with regard to the teaching as
presented. Should the official interpretation on the Roman Catholic side
not put this right, then the goal of the Joint Declaration has not yet been
reached." Hirschler, also bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Hanover, said, "This does not detract from the merit of those who, on
either side, developed the declaration and struggled for its reception."

Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson satisfied with consensus

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop H. George
Anderson's initial comments were more positive: "This does more than just
open a new chapter in Lutheran-Roman Catholic relations. It really starts
writing a new book." The Vatican admits there is a "consensus on basic
truths of the doctrine of justification" Anderson underlined. Both the LWF
Council in its action of June 16 and the Vatican in its response of June 25
agreed that the work must continue.

Institute for Interconfessional Research, Bensheim: "Joint Declaration
misses its mark"

The Vatican's answer raises new questions, according to the Institute for
Interconfessional Research of the Protestant Federation in Bensheim,
Germany. Both a clear 'yes' and a clear 'no' to the Joint Declaration can
be understood, states the institute in a June 29 press release. The
statement from Rome clearly notes that there is a consensus on the basic
truths of the doctrine of justification, but "Rome does not wish to agree
altogether to the lifting of all doctrinal condemnations of the 16th
century," the institute notes. The "anathema" remains over the issue of
"simul iustus et peccator." "Therefore," according to Bensheim, "the Joint
Declaration misses its mark."

The institute also expressed criticism that "Rome's response came from the
lowest possible level, since it was signed not by the pope nor by the Faith
Congregation which was instrumental in the response but by the person
responsible for ecumenical dialogue, the president of the unity council."

The question of the "real authority" of the Lutheran "synodal consensus,
today and also in the future" should be rejected, according to the
Interconfessional Institute. This question "compromises" the LWF Council's
positive action of June 16: "Rome has known since the beginning of the
dialogue that the LWF would compile the synodal decisions of the individual
Lutheran churches and, as is the case, determine a 'magnus consensus'. One
can ask why the Roman Catholic Church accepted the procedure all along only
to call it into question at the end."

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/