wfn.org | LWF president Krause urges equal treatment of churches in Slovenia

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

Numerous contacts support the Lutheran minority

GENEVA, 23 November 1998 (lwi) - The issues confronting the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia (ECACS) featured
prominently on Reformation Day, following a visit by the president of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Christian Krause.

Meeting state President Milan Kucan, the LWF president requested that the
state support the Lutheran church and maintain its status in Slovenia. In
particular, the Lutheran and the Roman Catholic churches should enjoy
equal treatment.

Krause also urged the return of land and property and the restoration of
church buildings with the help of state funds. He also called for the
establishment of a Protestant seat at the university. So far, in spite of
the official separation between church and state, only a Roman Catholic
seat exists at the university. A Protestant chair is planned only at the
faculty of philosophy, according to a report by the press officer Bernd
Kuchmetzky.

The LWF president participated in the official celebrations of Reformation
Day. Among other schedules, his agenda included meetings with Roman
Catholic and Orthodox representatives, Lutheran church leaders and the
pastors' conference, the German ambassador as well as radio and television
interviews.

Although the 19,000 Lutherans in Slovenia constitute a minority of only
about one percent and are faced with a strong Roman Catholic majority of
about 70 percent, Reformation Day has been an official holiday for five
years. This goes back to the national Reformer Primoz Trubar (1508-1586)
who translated the Bible into Slovenian. He was the first to address his
compatriots as Slovenians, developed a written language and is greatly
valued in the minds of the people for what he did for their identity.

For the Lutherans, the Roman Catholic Church is a strong counteracting
force. It does not "at the moment show much inclination for ecumenical
contacts" and considers itself to be the sole representative of all
Christian faith communities, the report notes. In such times of upheaval
created by the opening of Europe, the Lutheran church will have to find a
balance between keeping itself distinct, on the one hand, and assuming
ecumenical responsibility, on the other.

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/