wfn.org | LWF President Praises Pope for His Personal Contribution to

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

LWF President Praises Pope for His Personal Contribution to the Joint
Declaration
Doctrine of Justification Belongs to the Whole Church 

GENEVA, 7 November 2005 (LWI) - The president of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF), Bishop Mark S. Hanson has commended Pope Benedict XVI
for his personal involvement in the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. 

"We are aware of how you yourself, with the support of Pope John Paul
II, actively contributed to the fulfillment of this ecumenical
landmark," Hanson said in his greeting during an audience with His
Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today. Hanson, presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) led an LWF delegation in
the Federation's first private audience with the current pope.

Other members of the LWF delegation included General Secretary, Rev. Dr
Ishmael Noko; LWF Executive Committee member, Rev. Dr Joachim Track
(Germany), also chairperson of the Program Committee for Ecumenical
Affairs; LWF Deputy General Secretary, Ms Karin Achtelstetter; LWF
Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs Rev. Sven Oppegaard;
Rev. Dr Theodor Dieter (Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg,
France); and Mr Frank Imhoff (ELCA Department for Communication). 

The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) was
signed by the Roman Catholic Church and the LWF in Augsburg, Germany, in
1999. It is regarded as a significant milestone in Lutheran-Roman
Catholic bilateral relations. 

Ethics and Social Justice 

Hanson drew attention to various follow-up processes of the JDDJ,
particularly preparations by the World Methodist Council to formally
affirm support of the JDDJ in July 2006. "This development gives us
great joy and shows to all that the biblical doctrine of justification
is not seen as belonging to Catholics and Lutherans alone, but belongs
to the whole church, " the LWF president noted. 

"There should be no doubt that Lutherans and Roman Catholics, together
with others, also see issues of ethics and social justice in the light
of the doctrine of justification," Hanson continued. He drew special
attention to the message of justification as providing "important
perspectives for the church's involvement with the poor and those
suffering from political oppression and abuse." In this context, he
underlined the LWF's commitment "to ecumenical cooperation in the area
of human rights."

Looking back at the current fourth phase of the international
Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue, Hanson drew attention to the work on a
final report on "Apostolicity of the Church," concluding the ten-year
dialogue of the Lutheran * Roman Catholic Commission on Unity. "Although
this report will undoubtedly show the differences between traditions in
the area of its topic, it will certainly also show the richness of
shared apostolic faith, which we treasure together," Hanson stressed.

With reference to 2005 as the special year dedicated to the Eucharist
in the Roman Catholic Church, Hanson said that although Lutherans have
historically used different forms of language to express the mystery of
Christ's presence in bread and wine, Lutherans believe, with Roman
Catholics, that Christ himself is present at the Holy Eucharist in the
consecrated bread and wine "truly and in substance" * and that the
baptized believer receives the gift of salvation. 

During the private audience, Noko made reference to the JDDJ as a
"living letter," recalling that the Official Common Statement to the
Joint Declaration challenges both churches to make the doctrine of
justification understandable to contemporary men and women.

He also urged the pope to use his pastoral office to address issues of
human rights in a world which is marked by so many violations.

The pope described the JDDJ as an important achievement, and underlined
the need to accept the remaining differences regarding the central
question of justification, and to find a common language to address
these issues together. (615 words)

The greetings of LWF President Mark S. Hanson and Pope Benedict XVI
during the private audience can be found at:

http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/LWF_Greeting_Pope_Benedict_XVI_200
5.pdf

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2005/November/documen
ts/hf_ben_xvi_spe_20051107_lutheran-federation_en.html

* For Media persons: Interviews with the LWF delegation at the Vatican
can be arranged by contacting, Ms Karin Achtelstetter at +41/79-373
8210.

*   *	*

(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 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
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*   *	*

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