Title: Title: Lutherans, Roman Catholics Overcome Historic Condemnations
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 4, 1999

LUTHERANS, ROMAN CATHOLICS OVERCOME HISTORIC CONDEMNATIONS
99-270-FI

     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 conduct ecumenical relationships," Noko said in an interview.  "It
means that we can boldly walk forward with a clear understanding that Roman
Catholics and Lutherans are no longer enemies, opponents around the
critical question of justification.  It opens doors that were closed, and
puts official stamps on other initiatives which have been going on
unofficially."
     Significant problems remain, Noko admitted, but there is good reason
to celebrate agreement in the basic truth of justification by grace through
faith in Jesus Christ.
     During the heat of arguments, the churches exchanged condemnations
that were "not very accurate," he said.  "It is important for us to
recognize that historical reality."
     It is fitting to sign the Joint Declaration in Augsburg, because it
is the site where Luther's supporters and representatives of the Roman
Catholic Church failed to reconcile their teachings, said Noko.  "What
should have happened in 1530 is happening today around the critical
doctrine of justification," he said.
     "It is a very historic event," Kasper said in an interview.  The
Joint Declaration is the first document of agreement between churches of
the Reformation and the Roman Catholic Church.
     "We agree in the center of our gospel," he said.  "We can give common
witness to our world that God is good to us, that God accepts us, that we
are justified before God, that we have to accept also our labors."
     "It is the first step," Kasper said.  "We have to go further, and
both churches are decided to go further and to come, step by step, to full
communion.  This means also eucharistic sharing."
     The news conference was filled with questions about the possibilities
of Lutherans receiving the Lord's Supper in Roman Catholic churches, and
vice versa.  Responses were generally that the Joint Declaration is the
first step in that direction, but the road to that destination is long and
beyond the horizon.
     "I believe we are setting a platform on which we can both stand and
from where we can both build a house," Krause said in an interview.  "We
have not finished the construction, but we have laid a foundation, and that
is important.
     "We have for centuries defined ourselves in opposition to the other
one.  Now we are saying we have something in common," he said.  "We have
consensus on basic truths."
     "I have condemned you, but it does not hit you anymore, and you say
the same.  Now these are important steps which open a promising future,"
said Krause.
     "We have discovered a fine way of doing things," Cassidy said in an
interview.  Ecumenical dialogues between churches usually result in papers
being published which draw out the churches' differences.  Now the Lutheran
and Roman Catholic churches have declared consensus and identified future
points for discussion.
     "There have been agreements by which a church has come into full
communion by means of a document," he said.  "This is the first time I
think there has been a signing of a document between two churches 'in
movement' toward unity."
     "If you have a problem about justification, you question whether
someone is really Christian," said Cassidy.  With that barrier removed, a
full spectrum of implications are possible within Lutheran and Roman
Catholic parishes.
     "The parish is the basic level of relationships between Lutherans and
Roman Catholics," said the Rev. Sven Oppegaard, the LWF's assistant general
secretary for ecumenical affairs.  "Hopefully this agreement will
contribute to building mutual confidence, mutual trust in each other as
genuine Christians and thereby stimulate cooperation and greater fellowship
between the churches."
     Oppegaard said that mutual trust can also build confidence within
marriages and within families involving both Lutherans and Roman Catholics.
"We already see the Joint Declaration having a healing effect," he said.
     "We should be honest and say very clearly that the Joint Declaration
does not have any institutional consequences for the two world communions
at this point," said Oppegaard.  "It does not lead to intercommunion; it
does not lead to interchangeability of priests and pastors in any way."
     "It is in the area of doctrine and the area of spirituality; it will
contribute in the time to come as a basis on which we will continue our
dialogue at a new level," he added.  "We have affirmed that we are in
agreement on basic truths, and that agreement will become a platform for
our continued dialogue on remaining difficult issues."

SATURDAY
     Nine speakers addressed more than 2,000 state officials and church
dignitaries from around the world who crowded into the Golden Hall of
Augsburg's city hall the morning of Oct. 30.  The speeches were part of
three and a half hours of opening ceremonies, which included musical
interludes provided by school and church choirs and orchestras from
Augsburg.
     "We have quite deliberately turned the musical part of the program
over to the young people," said Dr. Peter Menacher, Lord Mayor of Augsburg.
"They will continue walking this path together to the future.  We here
today in Augsburg would like to encourage you in this movement, because we
need each other."
     "Should a city even bother with church matters?" he asked.
"Tolerance can only be sustained when it comprises all of life," said the
mayor.  "Social distinctions and the resulting tensions often have
something to do with religion or beliefs."
     "We are bringing in a harvest today after 30 years of dialogue," said
the Rev. D. Hermann von Loewenich, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Bavaria, noting that his term as bishop ended on the same day as
the signing.  "Harvest is a time of thanksgiving."
     Loewenich paid tribute to his predecessor, the Rev. Dr. Johannes
Hanselmann, who died four weeks earlier on Oct. 2.  Hanselmann had played a
pivotal role in negotiations leading up to the signing of the Joint
Declaration.
     "With this declaration the anathemas of the 16th century have been
overcome," said the Rev. Viktor Josef Dammertz, the Roman Catholic bishop
of Augsburg.
     "It is possible that we have already become too modest in describing
what has been achieved," said Bishop Karl Lehmann, chairman of the German
Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops.  "I do not have the impression that
the importance of the consensus, and the potential to reach a consensus
inherent in these sources, has been sufficiently taken note of as yet."
     Lehmann said the problems some Lutheran and some Roman Catholic
theologians have found with the Joint Declaration are signs that this may
not be a "breakthrough" document, but even as a "first step" document it
symbolizes forward movement.
     While Lehmann warned the audience to "avoid falling foul of premature
expectations," he concluded, "This is not an everyday event."
     The Joint Declaration deserves its place in the ecumenical movement
of the 20th century, said Dr. Joachim Track of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Bavaria, a member of the LWF executive committee and chairman of
the program committee for theology and studies.
     "Amid all the differences which remain and current controversies, the
churches are showing a new openness toward one another in congregations, in
dioceses, churches and worldwide," he said.  Track called the Joint
Declaration "a decisive step toward recognition of one another as
churches."
     Track found significance in what the Joint Declaration did for "the
ecumenical future," in that disagreement over the doctrine of justification
split Western Christianity.  "A common agreement on the Church and its
ministry will be possible when the full force of the reality is brought out
-- that the Church owes its existence permanently to the saving action of
God in Jesus Christ and to the gifts in which Christ gives himself to us,
his Word and sacraments."
     The Rev. Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the World Council of
Churches, said his presence signified the impact of the Joint Declaration
on all churches around the world.  Having the signing in Augsburg also
signified "a critical and interested public looking over the shoulders of
the signers," he said.

YOUTH PROGRAM
     "Color the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification"
brought young people -- toddlers to young adults -- to the City Hall Square
on Saturday afternoon.  A large mural was stretched out on the pavement,
and young artists were invited to use paints to express their hopes and
impressions of Christian unity.
     Music and games engaged others on the square.  The Evangelical and
Catholic Youth of Augsburg sponsored the program.
     A series of activities was designed to bring Lutheran and Roman
Catholic youth together to meet and to open their own ecumenical talks.
     Young people packed the Evangelical Church of St. Ulrich for "Am I
really of value?" a program on sharing faith witnesses.  It was sponsored
by the Ecumenical Center of Life in Ottmaring, Germany.
     An ecumenical youth prayer service, "Night of Lights" was held
Saturday evening at St. Ulrich.
     The Bavarian Ecumenical Youth Council launched "Justification on the
Web" at www.The-Symbol-Project.de for interested youth outside of Augsburg.

SATURDAY EVENING
     The evening before the signing of the Joint Declaration, several
events set the stage in Augsburg.  Bishop Bela Harmati of The Lutheran
Church in Hungary preached at St. Paul Lutheran Church.  Bishop Eero
Huovinen of the Church of Finland conducted a prayer service at St. Jakob
Lutheran Church.  The Rev. Prasanna Kumari of India preached at the
Friedberg Lutheran Church.
     The Basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra was the site of the Ecumenical
Vespers.  Kasper and Noko delivered homilies to about 900 people.
     Kasper used the pursuit for Christian unity as a metaphor for human
attempts to win God's favor, which is dealt with in the doctrine of
justification.
     "How can we create unity?" he asked.  "We cannot 'make' the unity of
the Church," Kasper answered.  "God alone is able to save us; He is the
only one who gathers us through His Holy Spirit."
     "This gospel of grace does not discharge us from our responsibility,"
he continued.  Justification is accompanied by Christ's command that people
love God, themselves and one another.
     Although Christians cannot earn salvation and are saved only by the
grace of God, they must still do good works, said Kasper.  "Whoever plays
the formula 'grace alone' off against acting has misunderstood it."
     "The gospel of the gracious God and of the gracious human being ...
is a message that today's world needs.  With this good news we go together
into the new century and the new millennium.  Thus we will be the people of
God, and God will be our God.  He will be with us," said Kasper.
     Noko used God's unmerited love as an example of how Christians should
treat each other.
     "As citizens of Christ's kingdom rooted in God's forgiveness, we are
brought into life in communion with God and with one another," said Noko.
"Walls of separation, isolation and imprisonment are broken down.  We are a
community of 'the forgiven.'"
     "If indeed we are co-sharers in the forgiveness of God, it is only
natural that we endeavor in the spirit of reconciliation to overcome the
doctrinal anathemas that separate us from the gift of unity," he said.
     "We have been forgiven by God.  Let us forgive one another, so that
the will of God may be done on earth as it is in heaven," Noko concluded.

SUNDAY MORNING
     Early morning events on Oct. 31 prepared Augsburg for the day of the
signing.  Kirchheim preached at the Diakonissenhaus (deaconess house).
Archbishop Georg Kretschmar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia
and Other States preached at St. Ulrich.  A prayer service at St. Lukas
Lutheran Church included a large-screen live transmission of the signing
ceremony.
     Roman Catholic worship services were conducted in Don Bosco, St.
Canisius, St. Georg, St. Maximillian, St. Moritz, and St. Ulrich and Afra.
     One thousand people filled the "Visitation of the Holy Virgin"
Cathedral of Augsburg and another 500 waited outside as the signing
celebration began with worship in the Roman Catholic sanctuary.  After a
liturgy of confession and forgiveness, the whole congregation processed to
St. Anna (Lutheran) Church.
     The procession took 2,000 people along Peutingerstrasse (Peutinger
Street) and past Fronhof, the former residence of the bishop.  On June 25,
1530, the Augsburg Confession was first read aloud at Fronhof to the
Emperor Charles V, the princes of the empire and a waiting Protestant
populace.
     The reconciled stream of people in 1999 proceeded south along
Annastrasse (Anna Street), singing hymns and responding to prayers offered
over a public address system.
     The congregation in St. Anna Church recalled their Baptism and heard
readings from the Bible.  Ishaya read in Hausa -- a written language of
Nigeria.  Cassidy and Krause delivered homilies.
     Jesus Christ gave St. Paul the responsibility of building the Church,
said Cassidy.  Christ was the cornerstone of the Church Paul built.
     "We who are gathered here today, 20 centuries later, are called to
continue that building," he said.  "We have also the duty of seeking to
repair the damage that has been done to that building by the storms,
conflicts and at time by human-made earthquakes," said Cassidy.
     "We have to do that together, by building on that one foundation
stone that has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ and his gospel," he
said.
     "Paul succeeded in his task by the grace God gave him.  We too have
succeeded in bringing here today a document that takes forward in a
significant way the work of restoration of unity among the followers of
Christ," said Cassidy.
     Krause pondered the historical significance of the day.  "For the
first time in centuries we are again setting foot on common ground," he
said, and that common ground was prepared by Jesus Christ.
     "The bond of baptism unites Christians everywhere on earth," said
Krause.  "The great church families are also linked together in baptism."

     "We hope that one day our children will look back and say,
'Reformation Day in Augsburg 1999 was an important step toward our
churches' common witness,'" he said.  "We must not again let go of the
hands we extend to each other.  We give thanks as we pray to God that God
will bless this day and guide us in God's truth."

SUNDAY AFTERNOON
     English-speaking Lutherans traditionally meet in a different location
in Augsburg each year to celebrate Reformation Day.  The presence of
American military stationed in the area usually made the size of the
congregation imposing.  This year only 40 voices echoed through the
sanctuary of St. Moritz Roman Catholic Church.
     The gravity of the day was brought to bear through readings from
Luther's Small Catechism, the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles
and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.  In the
presence of a Roman Catholic bishop, the assembly sang the theme of
Luther's Reformation, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," and the ecumenical
carol, "The Church's One Foundation."
     Meanwhile at St. Anna's Church -- Ishaya, Kasper, Kumari, Mogedal and
Noko were meeting with reporters for a concluding news conference.
     Noko thanked reporters for "answering the questions of those not
present" and for keeping communication open, even within the church.  "You
kept us informed of each others' positions," he said.
     Lutheran theologians often used the news media to criticize the Joint
Declaration.  "Historically Lutherans always find room for debate," said
Noko.  "Now is the time for consensus.  The time has come for cooperation."
     Mogedal said the day proved to be more significant than she expected.
She said she sensed "a sincerity and longing from both Lutheran and Roman
Catholics" that could not be expressed in the words of a joint declaration.
     The signing is an historic event that may undo the effects of
history, said Kumari.  Lutheran and Roman Catholic cooperation will be
helpful in India, where Christianity is a minority religion.  "In a
multicultural environment it is necessary for churches to speak with one
voice," she said.
     "We would have liked to have seen more women, especially from the
Roman Catholic side," Kumari added.
     "Women are the backbone of the church," Ishaya added.
     Lutherans and Roman Catholics in Africa and around the world can
build on this consensus, she said.  There are many problems that the
churches will now be more comfortable tackling together.
     Kasper displayed a certificate handed to him on the steps as he was
leaving St. Anna's Church.  It was a proclamation of affirmation from the
World Methodist Council.  "Throw a stone in the water and there is a ripple
effect," he said.
     The signing had been an emotional event for Kasper, recalling years
of doctrinal conflicts with Lutherans.  "You can never say never.  There is
always hope."
     Kasper said Krause will be in Rome in December to meet with Cassidy
and Pope John Paul II to discuss future implications of the Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
     "Lutherans and Roman Catholics move into the next millennium speaking
the gospel together to a world that has grown largely indifferent," said
Kasper.  "We have learned to trust one another."

*** EDITORS: Photos of the signing celebration -- the Roman Catholic
cathedral, procession and ceremony at St. Anna's Church -- on Oct. 31 in
Augsburg, Germany, are available at
http://www.elca.org/co/news/images_jddj.html

     Documents are located at http://www.elca.org/ea/jddj/index.html

     The event's Web site is at http://www.justification.org/

[*Frank Imhoff, associate director for News and Information, ELCA
Department for Communication, attended the events in Augsburg, Germany.]



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