Bishops sign

historic document

Process took 30 years of

discussion in

U.S. and abroad

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Local Catholic and Lutheran church leaders gathered at the New Ulm Pastoral Center on Monday to sign a declaration that represents a step toward resolving differences that have divided the two churches for over 400 years.

Catholic Bishops Raymond Lucker of New Ulm and John Kinney of St. Cloud were joined by Bishop Stanley Olson of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to sign the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification."

The statement is the first doctrinal agreement between the two groups since German theologian Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg in 1517, giving birth to the Reformation Movement.

The local signing on Monday, which was All Saints Day, follows a similar signing that took place on Sunday, which was Reformation Sunday, in Augsburg, Germany.

"This was a long process that took about 30 years," Olson said. "It is the result of discussions that have taken place internationally and here in the United States."

This is the first time since 1517 that any type of statement between the two has stated that they are willing to agree on one significant point.

"This is an exiting and historic time," Olson said. "This doesn't mean there will be some dramatic change in the Lutheran church. It just recognizes a oneness that we have neglected."

The overall goal is to encourage conversation, recognize what has been going on during the various conversations and open the door to other possibilities.

"In Minnesota, about three-fourths of the people are either Catholic or Lutheran, and people will feel encouraged to work together through this agreement," Olson said. "We clearly have differences. Those will not go away."

One of the main sources of division between the two churches has been the nature of salvation. Lutheran stress that people can be saved through faith alone, while Catholics maintain that continuing penance and good works are needed for salvation.

The document states both churches have agreed that "By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and received the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping us and calling us to good works."

Signing the agreement in New Ulm was a great joy and a great relief and is something people will be talking about for years to come, Kinney said.

"By participating in this, we are stating that the local (ELCA) congregations are supportive of this effort," he said. "We carry 400 years on our shoulders that we have now shed."

The agreement will help the churches concentrate on their differences and see them as something that can be discussed rather than as something to create division, Olson said.

"This is an affirmation of what we knew and is an attempt to help us identify differences," he said.

There is a lack of clarity about what people believe, and it is the hope that living room dialogues will be more focused in the future, Kinney said.

This agreement, along with one signed several months ago between the Lutherans and the Episcopalians, is another step toward fellowship and unity, Olson said.

The ELCA is the largest Lutheran organization in the United States. It was formed a few years ago when four synods combined, providing a better partner in the dialogue, Lucker said.

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, which has about 315,000 members, does not support the agreement, stating it is not true unity, because the document allows the Roman Catholic Church to agree without changing.

"Nothing has changed in the teachings of the Catholic Church since it condemned the teachings of Lutherans at the Council of Trent in the 16th Century," WELS Spokesman Gary Baumler said.

The idea of signing the document in Augsburg is to indicate that what the entire Lutheran doctrine stood for is now over, he said.

"The document doesn't focus on the life of Christians and what it means to be saved," Baumler said. "This is speculation, but they like to be ecumenical. We have achieved that without changing our teaching."

The Missouri Synod, which has about 3 million members, does not support the agreement, stating the document is woefully inadequate, is misleading and is a betrayal of the Gospel of Christ.

"This is not a breakthrough," Missouri Synod President A.L. Barry said. "We do pray for true unity, but this is not it."

In order for the agreement to create true unity, then the anathema on Luther should be lifted retroactively, Redeemer Lutheran Pastor Robert Hines of New Ulm said.