wfn.org | Bavarian Bishop Friedrich to Lead United Evangelical Lutheran

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

Bavarian Bishop Friedrich to Lead United Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Germany
Valuable Contribution to Dialogue and Peace Building

KLINK, Germany/GENEVA, 3 November  2005 (LWI) * Bavarian Bishop Dr
Johannes Friedrich is the new presiding bishop of the United Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD).

The 57-year-old theologian was elected by the VELKD General Synod at its
October 17 meeting in Klink bei Waren an der Müritz, Germany. He
succeeds Schleswig Bishop Dr Hans Christian Knuth, 65, who served two
three-year terms. Friedrich's position as head of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Bavaria remains unchanged.

In a congratulatory letter, General Secretary of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko notes that in his new capacity
Friedrich will also chair the LWF National Committee in Germany becoming
involved in international ecumenical challenges.

Noko says he is convinced the new presiding bishop will bring his valuable
and acknowledged engagement in dialogue and peace building to the
position, especially from his experience with the German Lutheran
congregation in Jerusalem. "As churches, we need leaders who can address
issues of conflict and violence from a perspective of individual experience and commitment," the general secretary says.

As VELKD Officer for Catholic Affairs since 2000, Friedrich has committed
himself to enhancing ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic Church
in his home diocese and at the broader ecumenical level in Germany. "In
this function, you are a valued person, dedicated from the heart to
building and sustaining ecumenical friendships," Noko writes.

Born in 1948, Friedrich studied Protestant theology at Erlangen and
Tuebingen, Germany. Among other positions, he was parish pastor and
student chaplain in Nuremberg, Germany, then leading pastor of the
German-speaking Protestant congregation in Jerusalem from 1985 until 1991,
after which he became city dean in Nuremberg. He was elected bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria in 1999, and is a member of the
Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). He is the second
Bavarian bishop to lead VELKD since its establishment in 1948. Bishop Hans
Meier was presiding bishop, 1949-1955.

Openness to Ecumenism

After his recent election, the new presiding bishop stressed that
Lutheranism played an "important role" for Protestantism in Germany. "We
want to show that the Evangelical Church in Germany will be strengthened
if we as VELKD bring in elements that Lutheran churches particularly
value." These include the Lutheran confessional orientation and traditional issues such as the doctrine of justification and Luther's doctrine of the
two kingdoms. The latter should play a "greater role" than is usually the
case in Germany, especially in relation to current political, social and
ethical questions.

As presiding bishop, Friedrich said he would feel fulfilled for the most
part if VELKD demonstrated itself to be a "meaningful and necessary
association of Lutheran member churches that makes its contribution to
bringing the gospel of God's love to people in our country so that it is
heard and bears fruit." He said he was convinced that the "Evangelical
Lutheran profile raises the profile of the Protestant churches in
Germany," adding that the profile reflected not separation and exclusion,
but rather openness to ecumenism both within the evangelical membership
and in the interdenominational context.

VELKD is an association of eight Lutheran regional churches in Bavaria,
Brunswick, Hanover, Mecklenburg, North Elbia, Saxony, Schaumburg-Lippe and
Thuringia, representing 10 million Lutherans. The EKD brings together 24
Lutheran, Reformed and United regional churches in Germany. (567 words)

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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140
member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66 million. 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
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