Anglican Communion Office letter to the Lutheran & Roman Catholic churches, October 25, 1999

His Eminence Edward Cardinal Cassidy
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
00120 Vatican City

The Revd Dr Ishmael Noko
General Secretary
The Lutheran World Federation
PO Box 21 00
1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland

Dear Cardinal Cassidy and Dr Noko,

The signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine Of Justification between the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church is an event which encourages Christians of all traditions and is a cause of rejoicing for all who pray and work for the unity of Christ's Church.

The significance of this agreement cannot be underestimated, dealing as it does with a question right at the heart of Christian faith and theology, the question of how we are saved. As we all are aware, this was a primary point of conflict during the Reformation period, which led not only to bitter theological disputes but even wars and Persecutions and created divisions that were exported beyond the shores of Europe through the missionary expansion of the Church.

Anglicans, although not so closely involved in the dispute on Continental Europe between the Reformers and Roman Catholics, nevertheless have addressed the doctrine of Justification and related issues both within our own Communion and in our ecumenical dialogues with Lutherans and Roman Catholics. The Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) in its 1987 statement Salvation and the Church stated that our two Communions "are agreed on the essential aspects of the doctrine of salvation and on the Church's role within it." The Niagara Report of the Anglican-Lutheran International Continuation Committee, also dating from 1987, cites among the truths shared by Anglicans and Lutherans "a common understanding of God's justifying grace."

Along with our Roman Catholic and Lutheran brothers and sisters, Anglicans give thanks to God for this notable step forward. We pray that this great event of the signing of the Joint Declaration may be a gift to the whole Church of God. We pray also that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen all efforts to overcome the polemical divisions of the past which impede the Church's witness to a reconciling God who draws all humanity into union with himself.

Yours sincerely,

The Reverend Canon John L Peterson
Secretary General of the Anglican Communion

ACNS 1916 - Anglican Communion News Service

The World Council of Churches (WCC) warmly welcomes the forthcoming signing of the Joint Declaration on the doctrine of justification by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church. The signing will take place on 31 October, in Augsburg, Germany.

According to the Rev. Dr Dagmar Heller, WCC Faith and Order, bilateral relations and conversations between different churches and Christian world communions are important for the WCC. "Bilateral dialogues can be seen as 'test cases' showing how far theological reflections, particularly the work of the Commission on Faith and Order, are actually being translated into practice. Such conversations are thus an important field for the reception of the WCC's work." She noted that conversations in which the Roman Catholic Church is involved are of special interest since, although the Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, the two bodies have good working relationships in a number of fields.

Heller called the signing of the Joint Declaration in Augsburg "a small but significant step" towards healing a major division that has marked history, especially in Europe. However, she cautioned against raising hopes too high that the signing of the Declaration will bring immediate radical changes in practice at the parish level. "In a sense, this Declaration simply sets the seal on a development that has long since become a reality in the parishes." While this event is of fundamental importance and raises further hopes for further steps, especially as this is the first time the Roman Catholic Church has officially come to a doctrinal agreement with one of the Reformation churches, she reflected that "the long process to make these signatures possible reminds all the churches of the difficulties and obstacles that have to be overcome on the way to Christian unity."

Heller noted that the celebration in Augsburg on 31 October is an incentive to churches "to build on the foundations laid down by this Declaration and to create opportunities to make visible our God-given unity and to remove the obstacles in its way". She hopes that the signing will encourage other churches engaged in bilateral conversations "to achieve visible results and take symbolic steps to overcome the factors causing division between them".

The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 337, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.