November 5, 2015
What 50 Years of Talks between Catholics and Lutherans Looks Like (1118)
The dialogue has identified 32 points of agreement, and found ways in which Catholic and Lutheran parishes can draw closer together.
By Matt Hadro/Cna/Ewtn News 11/04/2015
WASHINGTON — Catholic and Lutheran bishops have signed a declaration that they hope solidifies areas of “consensus” on matters of faith, while providing a path forward for more dialogue on the path toward full communion.
"Pope Francis in his recent visit to the United States emphasized again and again the need for and importance of dialogue,” explained Bishop Denis Madden, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, and co-chair of the task force that authored the document, “Declaration on the Way .”
He added that the declaration “represents in concrete form an opportunity for Lutherans and Catholics to join together now in a unifying manner on a way finally to full communion.”
The declaration, published on Oct. 30, the eve of Reformation Day, commemorates 50 years of dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans, and points ahead to the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
It lists areas of “consensus” between Catholics and Lutherans on matters of the Church, the Eucharist, and ministry while acknowledging that full agreement and communion have not yet been achieved.
Both the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs committee, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s Conference of Bishops “unanimously affirmed” 32 statements of agreement outlined in the declaration.
They exemplify the “imperfect, but real and growing unity of Catholics and Lutherans,” the declaration stated, and show that “there are no longer church-dividing differences” on those matters, solidifying a platform on which to continue dialogue in the future.
The Lutheran bishops are sending the statements to higher church bodies for acceptance and implementation. For the Catholics, acceptance will also be sought from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
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