Title: Statement by ELCA Presiding Bishop
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

June 11, 1999

STATEMENT BY ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP
ON ANNOUNCEMENT THAT JOINT DECLARATION WILL BE SIGNED THIS YEAR

     "With other Lutherans around the world I am extremely pleased to
hear the news announced today that representatives of the Vatican and
the Lutheran World Federation will gather on October 31, 1999, in the
city of Augsburg, Germany, to sign the 'Joint Declaration on the
Doctrine of Justification.'
     "This document 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.
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.
     "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.
     "My hope is that this historic occasion will be celebrated
throughout the United States in regional gatherings during autumn and
early winter where members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
and the Roman Catholic Church may offer prayers of thanksgiving for this
important step on the road to the greater unity of the Church of Jesus
Christ."

The Rev. H. George Anderson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America


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