wfn.org | ELCA-Roman Catholic Dialogue Continues to Compare, Contrast

[news@ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

December 14, 2000

ELCA-ROMAN CATHOLIC DIALOGUE CONTINUES TO COMPARE, CONTRAST
00-306-FI*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Work continued in exploring the Lutheran and
Roman Catholic traditions and their resources in history, scripture and
theology for resolving continuing issues that stand in the way of full
communion.  Representatives conducting the 10th round of talks between
the Evangelical Lutheran Church  in America (ELCA) and the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) met Nov. 30-Dec. 3 in Las Vegas.
     "The Church as Koinonia of Salvation: Its Structures and
Ministries" is the title of the round.   "Koinonia" is an anglicized
Greek word that appears several times in the Christian Bible and is
translated as "fellowship, a close mutual relationship; participation,
sharing in; partnership; contribution, gift."  The dialogue is taking up
issues of koinonia as they relate to "ordained ministry and structures
of church unity."
     Dr. Margaret O'Gara, University of St. Michael's College, Toronto,
Ontario, presented "Toward a Roman Catholic Evaluation of the 'Niagara
Report,'  the 'Porvoo Common Statement' and 'Called to Common Mission'"
-- a paper on several of the Anglican (Episcopal) and Lutheran
theological agreements that have made full communion possible between
them.
     Not all Lutheran churches claimed the historic episcopate -- a
succession of bishops reaching back to the early days of the Christian
Church.  Through the agreements, O'Gara said, Lutheran churches will
come into the historic episcopate as understood by Anglicans.  From a
Catholic and Orthodox point of view, this is a very important stage in
the development of ministry among the churches, she said.
     The Rev. Scott S. Ickert, Resurrection Lutheran Church, Arlington,
Va., presented "Recent Lutheran Reflections on Universal Ministry."  He
reviewed previous dialogues on papacy and infallibility and current
Lutheran scholars' positions on the subject.
     The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, developed the Lutheran
understanding of bishops from the constitutional and confessional
documents of the ELCA.
     Dr. Michael Root, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio,
presented "The Local Church, the Bishop and the Presbyter: An Argument."
Root examined complimentary differences in Catholic and Lutheran
understandings of local church, as parish or congregation, and regional
church, as diocese or synod.  He explored the implications of those
understandings for a theology of ordination in those churches.
     In addition to the four papers, time was given to a discussion of
the Lutheran study of ordained ministry, the process by which the
decision was made for women to be ordained in the predecessor bodies of
the ELCA, and some developments on communion ecclesiology in German
Catholic scholarship.
     During the course of the meeting, the co-chairs -- the Rev.
Charles H. Maahs, bishop of the ELCA Central States Synod, Shawnee
Mission, Kan., and the Most Rev. Richard J. Sklba, auxiliary bishop of
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee -- appointed drafters of the
text that will form the report of this round of the dialogue.
     In addition to prayers to open and close each day of the meeting,
dialogue members worshiped together at Christ the King Catholic Church
on Dec. 2 and Christ Lutheran Church on Dec. 3.
     The USCCB and the U.S.A. National Committee of the Lutheran World
Federation initiated the first round of the "bilateral" dialogue that
began in 1965.  It has produced a number of common statements on such
topics as Scriptures, saints and justification by faith.
     Participants meet twice each year.  The next meeting will be March
29-April 1 at St. Paul's College, Washington, D.C.

* Information for this story was provided by Brother Jeff Gros,
associate director of ecumenical and interreligious affairs for the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Washington, D.C.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html