wfn.org | Passing 'Joint Declaration' is 'big day' for Lutherans

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

LWF COUNCIL
Press Release No. 08/98

Passing 'Joint Declaration' is 'big day' for Lutherans
Press conference looks at implications of Lutheran-Catholic statement

GENEVA, 16 June 1998 (lwi) - "It s a big day for the Lutheran world,"
Swedish Archbishop K.-G. Hammar told a press conference after the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) Council today unanimously approved the "Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" with the Roman Catholic
Church. "The reasons for the rift of the 16th century is no longer
applicable for our present moment." Hammar is chairperson of the LWF s
Standing Committee for Ecumenical Affairs.

LWF General Secretary Ishmael Noko told journalists at the Ecumenical
Center here today, "This is what we ve been praying for and hoping for
after 30 years of dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. It should be
celebrated as a historic moment for our two churches and also as an
important moment for unity within Lutheranism."

LWF President Christian Krause said he hoped the Catholic church, which has
not yet announced the results of its study of the Declaration, "will give
results in the same spirit as we have seen during these days." He stressed
that the unanimous vote on a topic that has in the past been difficult to
get agreement on even among Lutherans was possible because of recognition
that LWF member churches come from different backgrounds. "But despite
these differences we have found that justification is the core doctrine
that binds us together."

Asked about the implications of accepting the "Joint Declaration," Krause
said he hoped that now at the parish and congregational level there would
be "an encouragement for congregations to keep pushing for further unity."
He was encouraged that the "debate on justification went far beyond church
offices and theological faculties. There is more awareness in congregations
now than before about the doctrine of justification. This is the first time
this doctrine has been so widely discussed in Lutheran churches."

Noko said that after approval by the Catholic church, Lutheran churches
would be encouraged to translate the Declaration into local languages for
further study. Having agreed on a statement about justification, the
general secretary noted, further Lutheran-Catholic dialogues could tackle
more difficult theological issues and focus on ethical issues as well.

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of Lutheran
churches. Founded in Lund, Sweden, in 1947, the LWF now has 124 member
churches in 69 countries representing over 57 million of the world s 61
million Lutherans. The LWF headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.

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