Catholics and Lutherans journey towards communion and common witness
(Vatican Radio) From division to dialogue. From conflict to communion and common witness.
That journey of reconciliation was at the heart of a meeting that Pope Francis had
on Monday with members of the World Lutheran Federation who came to present the work
of a joint commission looking ahead to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
in 2017. During the encounter, the Pope said he believed it “is truly important
for everyone to confront in dialogue the historical reality of the Reformation, its
consequences and the responses it elicited.” Both sides, he said, “can ask forgiveness
for the harm they have caused one another.” Following that meeting, Philippa Hitchen
sat down with the president of the World Lutheran Federation, Bishop Munib Younan
to discuss progress in the ecumenical dialogue and hopes on the horizons for the upcoming
anniversary of the Reformation….
Listen:
“We are always
touched by the warmth and humility he shows to all of us – this is a spirit of love
and ecumenism…. We visit him as the Lutheran World Federation, representing 142
churches in 79 countries, for two reasons: firstly the work of our Catholic-Lutheran
Commission has come up with a document called From Conflict to Communion, that means
conflict is a matter of the past, communion is a matter of the future and I think
this is essential theologically also that we ‘re moving to see each other as a communion
of churches… Secondly, our meeting was to discuss preparations for the Reformation
500 that we’ll be commemorating in 2017 – how can we celebrate it together? We
want to have it in 3 ways: globally, because the Gospel is global today, it’s not
only in Europe or the Middle East and that is something to rejoice in, the freshness
of the Gospel.. Secondly, we have to rejoice also for the ecumenical work of the
last 50 years that we’ve had with the Catholic and other churches. We thank the Lord
that it is possible today to dialogue, bringing our differences but looking to our
common witness… And thirdly, each church needs reformation…there is no church that
does not need the Holy Spirit to renew it, in order to be a living witness in our
world….”