Lutherans, Roman Catholics to Sign Consensus October 31

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church will sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification on October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany. LWF General Secretary Ishmael Noko and Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, announced the date and place of the signing at a June 11 news conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Joint Declaration is the product of more than three decades of intense international dialogue between Lutherans and Roman Catholics. The signing will be the first time that such a declaration has been recognized officially and jointly by the respective church bodies.
The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said June 11, "With other Lutherans around the world I am extremely pleased to hear the news announced today."
Anderson stressed the possibilities of ceremonies and celebrations in Lutheran and Roman Catholic parishes across the United States. "American Lutherans especially greet this announcement with enthusiasm because the work of the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue on the doctrine of justification, published in 1985, contributed significantly to this international agreement," he said. Anderson was Lutheran co- chair of the dialogue at that time.
On the basis of responses from its member churches, the LWF Council affirmed the Joint Declaration on June 16, 1998. On June 25 the Roman Catholic Church gave its response to the same declaration. At that time it was clear that the two dialogue partners had not affirmed the Joint Declaration in the same way, Noko said.
Signing the Joint Declaration could only happen if both the LWF and the Vatican had the same understanding of the significance of such a signing, Noko said. The two parties developed an "Official Common Statement" about that significance and a short explanatory "Annex" to the statement, which make the signing possible.
The statement and annex underscore that a consensus in basic truths regarding the doctrine of justification has been reached and the mutual condemnations from the time of the Reformation concerning the doctrine of justification do not apply to the teaching on justification as set forth in the Joint Declaration.
The Joint Declaration is "a significant milestone in the reconciliation of our two church traditions. By acknowledging that there is agreement on this crucial article of the Christian faith, our two churches have bridged a theological divide that has separated us for nearly 500 years," Anderson said.
"This agreement will have a positive effect on the mood of conversations between our two communions. I hope that this theological breakthrough will lead to other agreements in the future," he said.
Lutherans and Roman Catholics around the world have listened carefully to each others' teachings about a key Christian doctrine and have come to the conclusion that they agree on the core doctrine and have minor differences on related issues, according to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
The doctrine of justification says people become "right with God" because Jesus Christ won their salvation through his life, death and resurrection. This means salvation is strictly a gift through faith in Jesus and not because anyone else has earned it.
"By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works," said the Joint Declaration.
The role of "good works" or "Christian living" is a related issue that Lutherans and Roman Catholics now declare to be "not church dividing." Roman Catholics hold that good works contribute to growth in grace and that a reward in heaven is promised to these works. Lutherans emphasize that justification is complete in Christ's saving work and that Christian living is a sign of that unmerited justification.
October 31 is significant because that is the day in 1517, 482 years earlier, Martin Luther introduced his 95 theses or points of contention against the Vatican. Luther denounced the sale of indulgences -- letters replacing punishment for the sins of repentant Christians. Lutherans consider Oct. 31 the birthday of the Reformation.
Augsburg is important to the Lutheran tradition because in 1530 Emperor Charles V assembled a conference of Luther's followers to draft a statement outlining the beliefs and practices of the churches in Germany. The resulting Augsburg Confession has served as a founding document of the Lutheran Church.
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of Lutheran churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Founded in 1947, the LWF now has 124 member churches in 69 countries representing more than 57.8 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. LWF central offices are in Geneva, Switzerland.

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