A new Pentecost

On October 30-31 the tenth anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the doctrine of Justification will be celebrated in Augsburg where it was signed by the Roman Catholic Church and by the world Federation of Lutheran Churches. The document, that concludes a long dialogue between the two Churches, represents an important milestone of ecumenism and establishes that mutual condemnations pronounced in the course of the centuries by Catholics and Lutherans must be excluded from Church doctrine. In 2006 the declaration was also endorsed by the member Churches of the World Council of Methodist Churches. “That document – said Benedict XVI after the Angelus of November 1st – enjoyed the consensus of Lutherans and Catholics on the fundamental truths of the doctrine of justification, truths pertaining to the very heart of the Gospel and to essential questions of our life”. In particular, the Pope recalled, “we are received and redeemed by God; our existence is inscribed within the horizon of grace, it is guided by a merciful God who remits our sins and calls us to a new life in the sequel of his Son”. The symposium for the commemoration of the endorsement of the Joint Declaration was attended by Church and dignitaries and academic scholars. Among them figures Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Ishmael Noko, outgoing Segretary General of the World Lutheran Federation, Methodist bishop and theologian Walter Klaiber from Tübingen, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, former President of the German Bishops’ Conference and bishop of Mainz. The commemoration ended on October 31st with the ecumenical celebration of the vespers in the Cathedral of Augsburg.“Overcoming doctrinal anathema”. At the commemoration symposium Ishmael Noko pointed to the need for mutual forgiveness. “Seen from the perspective of God’s forgiveness, the statement on the doctrine of justification contained in the Joint Declaration was an attempt to bring God’s forgiveness into the life of the Church”. “If it’s true that God forgave us in Christ, then the next step entails the quest for responsible ways to continue ecumenical dialogue overcoming remaining anathema. We were forgiven by God; may we forgive each other mutually, so that by fulfilling God’s will on earth, as in heaven, we may experience different relations within the Church of Jesus Christ”. An important step in ecumenism. “Despite the hanging questions, the joint Declaration represents an important step made by the two Churches to overcome division caused by a different reading of the message of justification”, said cardinal Karl Lehmann, underlining the existence of “consensus on the fundamental truths of justification doctrine”. However, “a number of ambits require further examination during the next ecumenical encounters”, His Eminence said. In any case, “the remaining differences, especially as pertains to theological language, approach, and the emphasis given to different issues, are sustainable and do not jeopardize the consensus”. This consensus on the fundamental truths brought about “a long-lasting improvement marked by fruitful colloquiums”. His Eminence pointed out that “to a certain degree” the declaration was not implemented, since “it was not developed and made fruitful from a spiritual angle”. However, the Cardinal expressed his hopes in “ever more productive ecumenical meetings, especially as relates to the Church and to the doctrine of justification”.Spiritual ecumenism for Europe. During the celebration of the vespers Cardinal Walter Kasper defined the endorsement of the Declaration “a sign of the action of the Holy Spirit”, defining as “ungrateful” the empious complaints of a presumed standstill of ecumenism and the tragic defeatism that considers as mediocre all those things that have not yet been achieved, overlooking what has been bestowed upon us in recent years”. The Cardinal highlighted that “the journey has not yet come to an end”, while “there are still unsolved problems between us”, and ignoring them “would not only be foolish” but also “extremely dangerous”. “We have become too slow, too self-complaisant and presumptuous”, remarked card. Kasper. “There is one thing that we all need, not only in the realm of ecumenism but also in the German Church in general and in Western Europe. What we need is a new Pentecost”. “We need spiritual ecumenism”, His Eminence said, and recalled, “unity is a gift of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of prayer”. It is “an ecumenism of active love… which seeks and brings about the cooperation of all Christians to the service of all in order to address other people’s emergencies”.