wfn.org | Pope John Paul II receives LWF President Bishop Christian Krause

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Ecumenical dialogue continues 
 
ROME, Italy/GENEVA, 10 December 1999 (lwi) - A "sign of hope at the close of
this century," this is what the President of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF), Dr. Christian Krause called the signing of the Joint Declaration on the
Doctrine of Justification in Augsburg on October 31, 1999 and the "new shared
witness on the basic truths of our faith" that comes with it. 
 
Krause, who, on 9 December was received in a private audience by Pope John
Paul II in Rome, asked that "the hands we shook in Augsburg" must not be let
go of. The development leading to Augsburg, according to Krause, showed not
only "how precious our community is, but also how sensitive and vulnerable it
is." The LWF president recalled the Joint Declaration, in which both partners
of the dialogue committed themselves to continue the dialogue on the questions
still left open. Krause who stated that "we hope to be able to make progress
and to find a shared basic understanding in those areas also where no
consensus has been reached yet" is in Rome from 8 to 11 December at the
invitation of the Pope and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity (PCPCU). 
 
In his greetings, Pope John Paul II described the Joint Declaration as a
"milestone on the difficult path of restoring full unity among the
Christians." The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, which was
signed by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman-Catholic Church on 31
October 1999, lays down a "consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of
justification". It has put an end to the almost five centuries of controversy
on the doctrine of justification that in the 16th century led to the split in
the Church. On 9 December in Rome Pope John Paul II underscored that Catholics
and Lutherans "have come a lot closer" since the Second Vatican Council.
"Separating barriers" had been patiently leveled while at the same time the
"visible bonds of unity were strengthened". 
 
The Pope said the Joint Declaration is "without doubt a secure basis for
further ecumenical steps". The head of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church
said it stimulates "the continuation of theological research in the field of
ecumenism and the removing of those obstacles that still hinder the unity at
the Lord's table which is so ardently hoped for." He said that full unity was
an aim "worth working for. It spurs the spiritual activities of all the
Church." 
 
Pope John Paul II also acknowledged the ecumenical fellowship which "has
continuously increased between Catholics and Lutherans on the international as
well as the national level". He declared that he was convinced "that the good
relationship between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation is
the foundation on which all further talks on solving the remaining open
questions can be based." 
 
Bishop Krause called for a pooling of the forces of Christianity to avoid a
further split. Both "historical Churches" have a "shared responsibility" in
this context. Krause stated: "What unites us is stronger than what separates
us." Against this background the LWF president wished for "mutual recognition
as sister churches in a unity in reconciled diversity and for the members of
our congregations the possibility of mutual participation in the Eucharist as
guests." 
 
The leader of 58 million Lutherans worldwide said: "At the threshold of the
millennium, we hope for a major serious spiritual movement, a determined
concentration on Jesus Christ, so that the Christian message powerfully
reaches the people and our churches and congregations overcome fatigue and a
sense of low spirits." For Bishop Krause, the participation of young people in
the East and West in the spiritual movements and communities is a good sign
for this. "This way, we can participate in the wealth and diversity of other
traditions and learn from each other." 
 
Pope John Paul II pointed to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as the
next highlight of the ecumenical fellowship, at the occasion of which he will
"solemnly open the Holy Door of St. Paul's Outside the Walls." He sees the
joint celebration of the great jubilee as a whole as "an opportunity to deepen
our shared witness in faith. And especially our present-day world longs for
Christians to come closer together." 
 
The meeting that lasted altogether 40 minutes and started with a private
conversation, according to Bishop Krause, took place in a very open and
personal atmosphere characterized by good mutual understanding. "We mainly
dealt with two issues. One was the question of sharing the Eucharist; the
other one was the Millennium and what opportunities and difficulties we have
to celebrate the year 2000 together." 
 
The delegation of the President of the Lutheran World Federation included the
bishop of Helsinki, Prof. Dr. Eero Huovinen, member of the LWF's council and
chairperson of the board of trustees of the Institute for Ecumenical Research
in Strasbourg; Rev. Norbert Denecke, Milan, vice dean of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Italy; Agneta Ucko, Deputy General Secretary of the LWF;
Rev. Sven Oppegaard, LWF Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs;
and Rev. Dieter Rammler, Wolfenbttel, Bishop Krause's personal assistant.
Catholic representatives of the delegation were Bishop Walter Kasper the PCPCU
Secretary and Dr. Matthias Trk also from the PCPCU. Among other engagements
on Bishop Krause's itinerary was a meeting with the PCPCU President Edward
Idris Cardinal Cassidy. 
 
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(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. Its highest
decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years. Between
Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which meets annually,
and its Executive Committee.) 
 
[Lutheran World Information is the information service of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does not
represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the
dateline of an article contains the notation (lwi), the material may be freely
reproduced with acknowledgement.] 
 
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