ELCA Lutherans Ratify Joint Lutheran/Roman Catholic Declaration

    PHILADELPHIA (ELCA) -- Lutherans meeting here today agreed it was time to stop fighting with Roman Catholics about a key doctrine which split western Christianity and gave birth to the world's largest Reformation church 480 years ago.
    Voting members at the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted by a vote of 958-25 a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, declaring that condemnations the Lutherans hurled at Roman Catholics during the 16th century, concerning the key Lutheran doctrine of justification, no longer apply to present Catholic teaching on this topic.
    Justification is a doctrine concerning how sinful human beings are made right with God. Historically Lutherans have insisted justification is a free gift from God. Roman Catholics have traditionally insisted that good works are part of the process. The new joint understanding describes good works as an appropriate response to God's loving embrace, not something that makes the embrace possible.
    Participants responded to the announcement of the tally with a standing ovation and by singing the Doxology, "Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow".
    The ELCA is the second of 123 Lutheran churches worldwide to make a decision on the joint declaration. Both the ELCA and the [Lutheran] Church of Sweden have now approved the statement. All member churches of the Lutheran World Federation have been asked to respond to the declaration by mid-summer 1998.
    "The understanding of the doctrine of justification set forth in this declaration shows that a consensus in the basic truths of the doctrine of justification exists between Lutherans and Catholics," the declaration says.
    "Thus the doctrinal condemnations of the 16th century, in so far as they relate to the doctrine of justification, appear in a new light."
    Roman Catholic approval will also be required for the joint declaration to take effect. Such approval seems likely, according to Brother Jeffrey Gros, ecumenical spokesman for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. "I believe that someday the Joint Declaration will be part of Roman Catholic teaching," he said.
    Addressing voting members before the historic vote was taken, Gros said, "We broke off a conversation [about justification] at Regensberg, Germany, in 1541.  Thirty years ago, shortly after Vatican II, we picked it up again." He added, "We have had nine rounds of dialogues with Lutherans since the 1960s.    For the Roman Catholic Church, this agreement will be the first joint declaration ever to have been reached with any Reformation church since the 30-year process began."
    Gros said that U.S. Catholic bishops have already had a part in reviewing the Joint Declaration.
    Speaking for the ELCA, the Rev. Franklin Fry, of Summit, N.J., a member of the ELCA Church Council, said, "Tell a 70-year-old hard-core confessional Lutheran like me this would happen in my lifetime and you'd have a tough sell making me believe it. But it's happening, and the Holy Spirit is taking my breath away."
    The Rev. Harold Skillrud, Atlanta, former Lutheran co-chair of the Lutheran-Catholic dialogue said, "We give thanks to the Lord for this decisive step forward to lead toward the visible unity of the church which is Christ's will."
    Gros told reporters, following the positive vote, that there was a good chance both churches could approve the joint declaration within the next three years. He said, "The only resistance to be encountered on the Roman Catholic side would be rooted in ignorance." Gros said, "Some in our church, even in leadership positions, may not be aware of the significance of what we're proposing."
    Asked what difference the agreement might make to Lutherans or Roman Catholics "on the street," Skillrud replied, "It will elevate conversations between our two churches to a whole new level.
    Said the Rev. Daniel Martensen, director of the ELCA's  Department for Ecumenical Affairs, "This step could fundamentally change the mood between Lutherans and Roman Catholics, both in this country and worldwide."
    Using language which reflects both the Lutheran Reformation and traditional Catholic theology, the joint declaration says: "We confess together that persons are justified by faith in the Gospel `apart from works prescribed by the Law'" a reference to Romans 3:28. "Christ has fulfilled the Law by his death and resurrection has overcome it as a way to salvation."
    Then in a reference to Roman Catholic theology, which stresses the need to "accept" God's grace, the declaration says "We also confess that God's commandments retain their validity for the justified and that Christ has by his teaching and example expressed God's will."
    Worldwide, the Lutheran church is the largest Christian denomination to grow from the Reformation of the 16th century. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian church in the world.

For information contact:

Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html