ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 2, 2006
Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue Addresses Life Beyond Death
06-166-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue
in Round XI met Oct. 12-15 in Baltimore for its third session to
discuss "The Hope for Eternal Life." The Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB) selected the topic at the end of Round X in 2004
to examine issues related to the Christian's life beyond death.
The conversation stems from principles of life-after-death
developed in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification, which the Lutheran World Federation and the
Catholic Church signed Oct. 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany.
Dialogue members are considering such issues as purgatory,
indulgences, and masses and prayers for the dead.
The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, and the Most Rev.
Richard J. Sklba, auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Milwaukee, co-chair this round of the U.S.
dialogue. In addition to members of the ELCA and the Roman
Catholic Church, the dialogue included two participants from the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
The Rev. Theodore W. Asta, associate to the bishop, ELCA New
England Synod, Worcester, Mass., led a session on Lutheran
funeral liturgies, including liturgies in the new "Evangelical
Lutheran Worship" of the ELCA and Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada.
Dr. Susan K. Wood, S.C.L., Department of Theology, Marquette
University, Milwaukee, reviewed her earlier paper on Roman
Catholic funeral liturgies and presented a paper on "Communal
Eschatology and the Communion of Saints."
Dr. Christian David Washburn, lecturer, systematic theology,
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Drexel Hill, Pa., presented a
paper on "Prayers for the Dead."
Lutheran and Roman Catholic members of the dialogue
"concurred that prayers for the dead have their basis in
Scripture and tradition, and that heaven is not a place of
rejoicing individually in the Lord but of our being 'together'
with him and with one another in joyful communion," said the Rev.
James Massa, executive director, USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical
and Interfaith Affairs, Washington, D.C.
"Though Lutherans acknowledged the place of praying for
deceased loved ones publicly and privately, they pressed their
Catholic colleagues to explain how their own church understands
the effects of such prayer," Massa said.
The Rev. Jared Wicks, S.J., Jesuit community, John Carroll
University, University Heights, Ohio, presented a paper on
"Christology in the Creedal Material," and the Rev. George H.
Tavard, A.A., emeritus professor of theology, Brighton, Mass.,
led a session on "Mystics."
Tavard said purgatory has been understood by Catholics as
both a place of punishment and a state of cleansing, perhaps even
momentary at the time of death. The image of cleansing was
prominent among the mystics, for whom final purgation meant an
encounter with the "fire" of divine love which purged the effects
of sin on the human person.
Dr. Michael J. Root, professor of systematic theology and
dean, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.,
presented a paper on the Council of Trent's dealing with
"satisfaction," and he offered "a Lutheran response." He raised
theological reasons for prayers and other pious practices done on
behalf of the dead.
Members of the dialogue assumed responsibilities to present
papers at their next meeting, March 15-18, 2007, at Lutheran
Theological Southern Seminary. They decided future topics could
include prayers for the dead in Eastern Orthodox Christianity,
the manner in which piety shapes belief, Christ's own interim
state in his "descent to the dead" and other topics related to
the hope for eternal life.
-- -- --
Information about the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue is at
http://www.ELCA.org/ecumenical/ecumenicaldialogue/romancatholic/
on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
