Lutherans have invited Pope Benedict to join with them in organising “an ecumenically
accountable commemoration” of the 500th 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"