wfn.org | Lutherans Urged to "Accompany Anglican Communion with Prayer"

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

Lutherans Urged to "Accompany Anglican Communion with Prayer"
LWF General Secretary Noko Commends Lambeth Commission for Transparent
Process

GENEVA, 20 October 2004 (LWI) * The general secretary of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Ishmael Noko today called on Lutheran
churches to accompany the Anglican Communion "with prayer" following the
release of a report by a special commission set up, among other issues, to
study the implications of actions "considered to be in breach of the bonds of
communion." 

The Windsor Report 2004 was authored by the Lambeth Commission on Communion,
established in October 2003, with the mandate, among other tasks, 'to examine
the legal and theological implications' following the decisions in the
Episcopal Church (USA) to appoint a priest in a committed same sex
relationship as one of its bishops. 

"The question of the unity of a Christian world communion faced with major
challenges in the area of ethics is one that deserves great attention in the
ecumenical world at the present time," Noko says in a statement released
today.

The LWF general secretary commends the Commission for the transparent process
it has adopted since it started its work, "especially its public
communication on the process at its different stages." It clearly has upheld
"a high level of sensitivity toward different views represented among its
members and the broader constituency," he says.

He underlines Lutherans' conviction that the unity of the church is based on
the holy gospel which "unites us through faith with the Triune God by
proclamation of the Word and administration of the Sacraments."(259 words)

The report is available in PDF format at
http://windsor2004.anglicancommunion.org/windsor2004/downloads/windsor2004ful
l.pdf

The full text of LWF General Secretary Noko's statement on the Windsor Report
2004 follows:

Statement by Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the 
Lutheran World Federation on
The Report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion

The Windsor Report 2004 of the Lambeth Commission on Communion was expected
with interest, given the nature of the issues it was established to consider.
The question of the unity of a Christian world communion faced with major
challenges in the area of ethics is one that deserves great attention in the
ecumenical world at the present time. The interrelationship between ethics,
ecclesiology and church discipline requires the most careful reflection and
deliberation.

The Commission deserves recognition for the transparent process it has
adopted since its establishment, especially its public communication on the
process at its different stages. It clearly has upheld a high level of
sensitivity toward different views represented among its members and the
broader constituency, as well as a strong commitment to the unity of the
Anglican Communion and its witness to the gospel. 

In the search for Christian unity, the internal unity of the different
Christian world communions and church families must be seen as a genuine
contribution to the unity of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. It
is the conviction of Lutherans that the unity of the church is based on the
holy gospel, which reveals and unites us through faith with the Triune God by
proclamation of the Word and administration of the Sacraments. This is
constitutive for each local and regional church, for the global communions
and for the universal church. 

The Windsor Report clearly takes its point of departure in such an
understanding when it states in paragraph 45: "All those called by the gospel
of Jesus Christ and set apart by God's gift of baptism are incorporated into
the communion of the Body of Christ. This communion is primarily a
relationship with God, who is himself a communion of Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, and it binds every member of Christ into the whole body." 

The Report makes it clear that at the present time the spiritual integrity of
the Anglican Communion remains a reality, despite recent actions taken within
the communion considered to be in breach of the bonds of communion. The
Commission seeks resolution of the current challenges on the basis of the
values of the gospel. This has led the Commission to a clear call for
reconciliation rather than punishment.

The Commission chose from the outset not to reopen the question of
homosexuality itself, but to base its work on the majority-based decision of
the 1998 Lambeth Conference on the subject. The question may be asked whether
this will be sufficient in the longer term. But at present the Lambeth
Commission has achieved an important purpose, which is - amid the turmoil -
to focus on, and draw guidance from that which is always constitutive for the
church and the spiritual fellowship of its members: God's grace given to us
as a gift in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I call on the Lutheran churches around the world to accompany the Anglican
Communion and its instruments of unity, in particular the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the Primates' Meeting, with prayer that God may guide them in
Spirit and in truth as they exercise their responsibilities in this matter. 

Geneva, 20 October 2004

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138 member
churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of nearly 65
million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of
common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. 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
acknowledgment.]

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