Celebrating the spirit of the Reformation

Lutherans have invited Pope Benedict to join with them in organising “an ecumenically accountable commemoration” of the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. At an audience in the Vatican on Thursday, the Lutheran World Federation President, Bishop Munib Younan invited the Holy Father “to work together with us in preparing this anniversary, so that in 2017 we are closer to sharing in the Bread of Life than we are today”. Underlining the need to recognise both the damaging aspects of the Reformation and the progress that has been made in ecumenical relations, Dr Younan noted that for Lutherans ‘there is joy in the liberating power of the Gospel proclaimed afresh by the reformers”.
Addressing the seven member LWF delegation, Pope Benedict expressed gratitude for the “many significant fruits” of the Catholic-Lutheran dialogue, saying in the years leading up to 2017, “Catholics and Lutherans are called to reflect anew on where our journey towards unity has led us and to implore the Lord’s guidance and help for the future”.
Among those accompanying Dr Younan at the papal audience was the new General Secretary of the LWF, Rev Martin Junge. Philippa Hitchen caught up with him after the audience to find out more about the meeting and about plans for the forthcoming Reformation anniversary….
Listen…
"We are indeed going to remember with joy the 500 years of Reformation...but never in a triumphalistic way......We very much look forward to discovering together what we can say today and we should not miss this anniversary to come together and say together what we can say together...thus being a witness that the Risen Lord is alive in the lives of our Churches".
"We are aware that we have a special responsibility for the 500th anniversary..it is our very particular legacy out of which we interpret and understand our Christian faith....what we committing ourselves is to do that in ecumenical accountability....we do not want to celebrate our 500 years of Reformation in undoing what has been done and written and achieved in recent years.."
"Reformation took place within the Church Catholic and we continue aspiring that this could be understood as a contribution to the Church as a whole, to the Body of Christ.".
"Our bi-lateral commission is developing a joint statement on the significance of 2017.....my personal wish is ...to find that symbolic action, that concrete gesture that can speak way beyond our Christian Churches...and bear witness together"