Lutherans, Roman Catholics Overcome Historic Condemnations

AUGSBURG, Bavaria, Germany (ELCA) -- "By this act of signing, the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) confirm the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in its entirety." Once LWF General Secretary Ishmael Noko read these words aloud Oct. 31 here in St. Anna's (Lutheran) Church, 10 people sat down to sign their names below = "The Official Common Statement," putting to rest centuries of conflict over a key element of the Christian faith.
"The teaching of the Lutheran churches presented in this declaration does not fall under the condemnations from the Council of Trent. The condemnations in the Lutheran Confessions do not apply to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church presented in this document," said the Joint Declaration.
The Council of Trent was an ecumenical assembly hosted by the Roman Catholic Church (1545-1563) in Trento, Italy, which condemned teachings that Martin Luther was advancing.
Augsburg is significant 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.
Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy and Bishop Christian Krause were the first to sign the Joint Declaration. Cassidy is president of the = Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU). Krause is president of the LWF and bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick, Germany.
Bishop Walter Kasper, secretary of the PCPCU, and Noko then signed the documents. After both had signed, the two men embraced and shook one another.
"As we finished we just did what was not supposed to be done, namely to hug each other," Noko said later. "We did that on behalf of millions = of people outside this building."
"It was very emotional for me," he said. "I couldn't believe it, first of all. I think the same was happening to my counterpart who was signing with me," said Noko. "You cannot describe the moment with words but only with tears."
The congregation broke into applause which continued through the remaining signatures.
The next to sign were Dr. Sigrun Mogedal, LWF treasurer, from the Church of Norway and five vice presidents of the LWF -- representing the federation's 128 member churches in 70 countries, about 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans: + Parmata Abusu Ishaya, a member of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria; + the Rev. Prasanna Kumari, executive secretary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India; + the Rev. Julius Filo, bishop of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic; + the Rev. Huberto Kirchheim, president of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil; and + the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The congregation of about 750, mostly church dignitaries, reporters and television crews, received a blessing from Cassidy and greeted one another with handshakes and hugs -- Christian gestures of peace.
In a tent located in the city square another 2,000 people watched the ceremony on television screens. More stood outside the tent, and the = event was broadcast live on the World Wide Web.
Minutes later, Pope John Paul II issued a personal affirmation of the Joint Declaration in German from Rome. "This is a cornerstone for the complex road in the reconstruction of full unity among Christians," he said.
The document approved by Roman Catholics and Lutherans "is a sure base to continue the ecumenical theological research and to address the difficulties that still exist with a more well-founded hope, so that difficulties can be resolved in the future. At the same time, it is an extraordinary contribution to the purification of the historical memory = and to common testimony," said the pontiff.
The doctrine of justification -- that people are saved by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, and have not done anything on their own to become "right with God" -- stood at the core of many disputes between Lutherans and Roman Catholics since the 16th century.
The role of "good works" or "Christian living" is a related issue that Lutherans and Roman Catholics now say -- in the Joint Declaration -- is "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, according to the declaration. Lutherans emphasize that justification is complete in Christ's saving work and that Christian living is a sign of unmerited love.
On Oct. 31, 1517, in Wittenberg, Germany, Luther introduced his 95 theses or points of contention against the pope. Lutherans consider October 31 the birthday of the Reformation.
The signing of the Joint Declaration capped centuries of conflict and a weekend of activities.

FRIDAY
An Oct. 29 news conference launched the events. An international audience of reporters asked questions of Cassidy, Kasper, Krause and Noko.
"The Joint Declaration is part of the one ecumenical movement," said Noko. Lutherans and Roman Catholics have traditionally been at odds over the doctrine of justification, but now they use it to witness together to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"The Joint Declaration is a peace document ... for the whole world," he said. "It carries a special message of peace to Europe," where the conflict between Lutherans and Roman Catholics was reflected in the Thirty Years' War of the 17th century, and to where the conflict has "multiplied throughout the world."
"Wherever Lutherans and Roman Catholics live together, let the world know that they are not opponents but sisters and brothers in the one = Church of Jesus Christ and in the world," said Noko.
Cassidy extended thanks to those who had contributed to dialogues between the two churches over the past 35 years, to the city of Augsburg for its ecumenical emphases and to God. "Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, the difficulties we have faced could not have been overcome," he said.
Noting continued disagreement over the role of good works and their heavenly reward, with a grin Cassidy concluded, "On the day of judgement, if the Lord asks me if I have done anything good, I can say I signed the Joint Declaration."
Reporters asked Cassidy if the pope's issuing a new Manual of Indulgences for the year 2000, in which Roman Catholics will be able to earn indulgences by visiting various historic sites during the church's "year of jubilee," contradicted the teachings described in the Joint Declaration. Martin Luther considered the sale of indulgences an abuse by the church and a leading sign of the church's need for reform.
Cassidy said the pope put the indulgences in their proper place; indulgences come only from God and only after justification. He said that is in agreement with the Joint Declaration.
Noko was asked about the absence of representatives from the Church of Denmark and other Lutheran churches which registered objections to the Joint Declaration.
Five LWF member churches responded negatively and two, including the Church of Denmark, gave mixed responses to the document. The LWF = concluded there was consensus among LWF member churches in favor of the Joint Declaration, because the seven responses represented 8.1 percent of the responses and 10.7 percent of Lutherans in the LWF.
The Joint Declaration is not another confession, Noko said, and should not be a dividing issue among Lutheran churches. "It is an important document that says the condemnations of the 16th century church = no longer apply to the other ecumenical partner," he said.
"We are today officially launching a new environment within which we can co