wfn.org | "Joint Declaration": Implications for social witness

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

Lutheran and Catholics helping to build a culture of peace

GENEVA, 11 November 1999 (lwi) - In Augsburg, Germany, on 31 October
1999, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church
affirmed the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" after
nearly 500 years of division over this central doctrinal issue.

In addition to the interest that this ecumenical development has for
theologians and church historians, it also has significant potential
implications for the social ministry of the churches.

Firstly, it affirms the already growing contact and cooperation between
Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, which has been especially evident
in the area of social ministry, particularly at the local level. It is
expected to encourage even closer contact and cooperation between Roman
Catholics and Lutherans in areas of common social ministry. Because of
the essential agreement that it reflects, the "Joint Declaration" means
that Lutherans and Roman Catholics stand together in witnessing to the
gospel message of forgiveness and compassion.

Secondly, the important ecumenical step which the "Joint Declaration"
represents, is also a step toward the realization of the common
responsibility of Christian churches generally for witness and service
to the world. As Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the LWF, pointed
out in a press conference in Augsburg on 29 October 1999, it has become
increasingly clear in our globalized world that no church can carry out
its mission in present-day society without involving and relying on the
collaboration of its sister churches.

Thirdly, ecumenism itself is an important example and witness by the
churches in a world that continues to be bitterly divided despite and
partly because of the pressures of globalization. In achieving
reconciliation among themselves, churches that once anathematized each
other and were unable to accept each other are holding up signs of hope
for the world.

Fourthly, the "Joint Declaration" carries a very specific message of
peace and reconciliation. Nearly 500 years after reconciliation efforts
between the disputing parties failed to prevent a split in the church -
a split which has provided the canvas for the subsequent centuries of
politico-religious conflict and persecution, especially in Europe - the
Roman Catholic Church and the LWF have drawn a line under that history
of conflict by holding out the hand of reconciliation to each other in
relation to a central doctrinal disagreement.

In a lecture at the Centro pro Unione in Rome, Italy, on 4 November
1999, Dr Noko developed this theme. He said that the division which
occurred at the time of the Reformation was not only a division in the
church, but also a division in society, which has been playing itself
out in wars and political and economic tensions ever since. This has
been particularly so in Europe, but the social divisions created in
Europe at the Reformation have also been exported to the rest of the
world, through the colonial process and through the activity of
missionaries. By these means, it provided an axis for division
throughout the whole world. The signing of the "Joint Declaration" is
significant in that it helps to close a chapter of conflict and division
in Europe and the world. A central message of the "Joint Declaration" is
that, wherever in the world they may live, Lutherans and Roman Catholics
are not opponents, but sisters and brothers in Christ.

Fifthly, the doctrine of justification, on which a "consensus in basic
truths" has been reached, has itself important implications for the
search for peace and reconciliation. At the press conference on 29
October 1999, Dr. Noko said that "The doctrine of justification by faith
is a call to all those who are baptized in Christ to take part in
building community across the barriers that exist between nations,
ethnic groups, genders and generations. Because we are justified by God
and not by our own qualities or actions, we should all receive each
other as God receives us. The gift of justification that we are given in
Christ is an affirmation that we are all made in God's image and that we
are each of value as individuals."

The LWF General Secretary described the "Joint Declaration" as a "peace
document", and as "an important contribution to the establishment of a
culture of peace" internationally. In this context, he noted that the
year 2000 has been proclaimed by the United Nations as the International
Year for the Culture of Peace, and the period 2001-2010 as the
International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the
Children of the World, and that the World Council of Churches (WCC) has
also proclaimed an Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence (2001-2010).

In conclusion, whilst its full consequences remain to be seen, it is
already clear that at a number of different levels the "Joint
Declaration" carries important practical implications for the social
ministry of the churches, and for the search for peace and
reconciliation, locally, nationally and internationally. Reflection upon
how the "Joint Declaration" might help to strengthen the common social
witness and ministry of Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches will be one
of the next important steps. It is much to be hoped and prayed that the
"Joint Declaration" will lead to such increased cooperation in this
area, helping to make its message of reconciliation and hope a practical
reality for the excluded and oppressed in our societies.

(This article was contributed by Peter Prove, the LWF Assistant to the
General Secretary for International Affairs and Human Rights)

(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. The LWF secretariat
is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

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Lutheran World Information
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