wfn.org | Joint Declaration is important for churches' consciousness

[FRANKI@elca.org]

Lutheran bishop speaks on the Polish view, one year after the historic
signing

WARSAW, Poland/GENEVA, 31 October 2000 (LWI) - The content of the Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JD) should become an
invariable part of the churches' awareness. It should not be just "another
document to be put in the library," according to the presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland.

Lutheran Bishop Jan Szarek made these remarks in statement to mark the first
anniversary of the October 31, 1999 signing of the JD in Augsburg, Germany.
In the statement written for Lutheran World Information, Bishop Szarek
pointed out that in Poland great hopes are pinned on a joint commission for
Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue, expected to meet for the first time in
November 2000. The text of the JD and accompanying documentation will soon
appear in a brochure, thereby allowing for better understanding and wider
readership of the Declaration.

He also expressed hope that the Declaration "Dominus Iesus", recently
published by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "will
not hamper dialogue or have a deleterious effect on the ecumenical climate."

With the signing of the JD in Augsburg last year, Lutherans and Roman
Catholics after more than 30 years of dialogue, confirmed officially for the
first time that they have agreements on a crucial article of the Christian
faith--the doctrine of justification--thereby bridging what has been
considered a theological divide between the two church traditions for nearly
500 years. It was the first time that the Roman Catholic Church had accepted
the results of a bilateral dialogue with churches of the Reformation, and
was prepared to express its acceptance in a shared signing ceremony. The
goal of the continued dialogue between the two partners is not uniformity
but a unity in diversity, in which the remaining differences are reconciled.

The full text of Bishop Szarek's statement follows: 

The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
One Year Later - the Polish view

Statement by Bishop Jan Szarek, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Church
of the Augsburg Confession in Poland

The signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in
Augsburg in 1999 was a significant moment in the history of Lutheran/Roman
Catholic dialogue, even though one can see in retrospect over the past year
that no breakthrough was achieved. From the start, work on the wording of
the Declaration was, by the way, always considered to be a further stage in
the dialogue, not its conclusion.

According to Article 43 of the document, both sides are obliged to continue
their discussions, including also on justification; they are to work for its
reception in the churches and the clarification of any possible contentious
points.

Christians in Poland joyfully welcomed the signing of the Joint Declaration
on the Doctrine of Justification. The immediate reaction was to hold worship
services. Then followed Roman Catholic/Lutheran symposia. We put great hopes
in a joint commission for Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue, expected to meet
for the first time in November 2000.

The text of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and
accompanying documentation will be published soon. This will lead to a
better understanding of the Declaration among a wider readership.

I am of the opinion that it is very important to explain to both Roman
Catholic and Lutheran Christians how the principle of justification is to be
applied in daily life and how it influences the faith and action of each and
every one of us. When theologians and clergy translate the truth of
justification into present day language they thereby convey other central
biblical truths to all interested. When that is achieved new prospects for
dialogue open up to us all.

We should do our utmost not to let the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification become just another document to be put in a library. Its
content must become a constant component of the churches' consciousness.

In October 1999, at an ecumenical worship service in Katowice, I said:
"Augsburg is the symbol of all that binds us together and also separates us.
With the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
the Catholic and Lutheran Christians clearly speak out for that which binds
us together. We jointly speak out for a life in reconciled diversity."

In this spirit I hope that the emphasis on centralism and exclusiveness
recently expressed by the Roman Catholic Church will not hamper dialogue or
have a deleterious effect on the ecumenical climate.

Warsaw, October 27th 2000

(The LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries
representing over 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. Its
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aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
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