Lutheran World Federation Approves Agreement with Roman Catholics

     GENEVA (ELCA) -- By a unanimous vote here June 16, the 48-member council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) approved the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" with the Roman Catholic Church.  The Joint Declaration ends 400 years of condemnations on the principal doctrinal dispute of the Reformation, that salvation is a gift from God through grace, not something humans earn through good works.
     The Joint Declaration was circulated among the LWF's 124 member churches, and the council acted after a "significant majority" of the churches approved the document.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved the declaration at its churchwide assembly in August 1997.
     Of the 89 churches that responded, 80 said "yes" to the declaration and five said "no."  The Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg, France, which analyzed the responses, said four responses were difficult to interpret but four seemed to approve and one reject.  Approval came from 91 percent of the churches responding, which represent 54.7 million Lutherans or 95 percent of the Lutherans in LWF member churches.
     "It's a big day for the Lutheran world," Swedish Archbishop K.G. Hammar told reporters.  "The reasons for the rift of the 16th century are no longer applicable for our present moment."  Hammar chairs the LWF's Standing Committee for Ecumenical Affairs.
     LWF President Christian Krause said he hoped the decision would be "an encouragement for congregations to keep pushing for further unity."  He said the "debate on justification went far beyond church offices and theological faculties.  There is more awareness in congregations now than before about the doctrine of justification.  This is the first time this doctrine has been so widely discussed in Lutheran churches."
     Both Protestants and Roman Catholics issued condemnations of each other during Reformation times.  The Joint Declaration asserts that though there still remain some differences on the understanding of justification, the differences are not substantial enough to warrant the condemnations.
     The text of the resolution approving the declaration said, "On the basis of the positive responses of the said majority, the agreements regarding the doctrine of justification as presented in the Joint Declaration be affirmed, and that on the basis of these agreements the doctrinal condemnations in the Lutheran confessional writings regarding justification be declared not to apply to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church as presented in the Joint Declaration."
     The resolution also asked Lutherans to explore with Roman Catholics the "pastoral consequences of the agreements."  Though there have been three signed letters of agreement regarding the Joint Declaration, the Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church has not yet taken final action.  When approved, details for a joint signing of the declaration would be worked out.
     The LWF Council expressed concern for those Lutheran churches that had said "no" or had not yet responded.  "In light of the comments and concerns expressed by the churches in their responses, the need for further common investigation [should] be emphasized, both of the consequences of this doctrine for specific areas of teaching and practice in the church, and also of the controverted topics within the doctrine of justification that arose during the reception process," it resolved.
     The council asked LWF General Secretary Ishmael Noko to report in 1999 on a plan of how to deal with the controversial issues that came up during the churches' discussion of the Joint Declaration.  It asked that the plan be drawn up for action both "within the LWF and together with the Roman Catholic Church."
     Noko said that, after approval by the Vatican, Lutheran churches would be encouraged to translate the declaration into local languages for further study.  Having agreed on a statement about justification, the general secretary noted, further Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogues could tackle more difficult theological issues and focus on ethical issues as well.
     The LWF is a global communion of Lutheran churches.  Founded in Lund, Sweden, in 1947, the LWF now has 124 member churches in 69 countries representing more than 57 million of the world's 61 million Lutherans.  The LWF central offices are in Geneva, Switzerland.

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