wfn.org | Italy's Lutherans will not take part in Roman Catholic Jubilee

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

Glorification of the church should be avoided

ROME,Italy/GENEVA 25 February 1999 (lwi)   Italy's Lutherans will not
participate in the festivities organized by the Roman Catholic Church
for the Holy Year 2000. According to a statement signed by the dean of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy (ELCI), Italian Lutherans warn
against a glorification of the church.

"The Jubilee should first of all be an act of penitence to give praise
to God alone," avoiding all false glory of the church, the statement
signed by Dean Jurgen Astfalk says.

While recognizing that for a large part of Christianity Rome still bears
a special meaning as a holy city, the Italian Lutherans point out that
the appropriate historical place to remember the birth of Christ is the
Holy Land.

In addition, the Lutherans criticize the Roman Catholic Church's
provisions for the practice of indulgences which were the cause of the
Lutheran reformation, and asks whether greater sensitivity should not be
expected from the church which claims to have a specific ministry for
the unity of the church.

The Lutheran church therefore welcomes any activity which aims at
glorifying "our Lord", accepts and hopes to take part in the ecumenical
celebrations in the "Holy Land", but asks the Roman Catholic Church to
understand why the church has no plans to support the celebrations in
Rome. The Catholics had invited Italy's Protestant churches to
participate in celebrations for the year 2000 Jubilee.

The Lutheran church expresses support for the Jubilee 2000 cancellation
of the debts of the world's poorest countries. Several Christian
churches including the Roman Catholic Church are participating in
various activities as a way of declaring support for the jubilee.

The ELCI has about 7,000 mainly German-speaking members in 12
congregations. Since 1993, the church has been allowed to levy church
taxes which in Italy amount to 8 per cent of income tax.

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