Ecumenical delegates who attended the LWF Council meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo: LWF/A. Hillert
Representatives of other churches and communions bring greetings to LWF Council in Ethiopian capital
(LWI) - Representatives of many global Christian communions and ecumenical organizations have been bringing greetings and participating in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council meeting that concluded in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on 16 June.
Speaking on behalf of Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Monsignor Massimo Catterin from the Nunciature in Ethiopia recalled the recent death of Pope Francis and election of the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV. He said the presence of LWF leaders at both the funeral and the inauguration of the new pope’s ministry was “a beautiful sign of our joint witness.”
He noted that a new, sixth phase of Lutheran-Catholic dialogue is about to begin with a focus on the 1530 Augsburg Confession as a “document of common witness.” Recalling that the original aim of the document was “to bear witness together in one Church, free from the wounds of later Lutheran-Catholic history of divisions,” he said, “I hope, in light of a pre-confessional interpretation of the Confessio Augustana, we will succeed in rediscovering and honoring this ecumenical potential together.”
Unity, mission, healing of memories
Rev. Dr Casely Essamuah, Secretary of the Global Christian Forum, reflected on the theme of the LWF Council meeting, ‘Be my witnesses’. He said: “By calling attention to the missionary calling of the global church, the LWF is reminding us once again of the fundamentals of our faith.” He recalled last year’s gathering of the Global Christian Forum in Ghana with a similar theme, ‘That the world may know’, noting that “our pursuit of Christian unity is strongly tied to our calling on mission and bearing witness in a world that needs the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Bringing greetings from the General Secretary of the Mennonite World Conference César Garcia, local Pastor Desalegn Abebe spoke of the recent commemoration in Zurich, Switzerland, of 500 years of the Anabaptist-Mennonite movement. He recalled the history of bitter divisions and persecutions of Anabaptists by Lutherans during the 16th century, as well as the repentance, forgiveness and healing of memories that took place between the two global communions at LWF’s Eleventh Assembly in Stuttgart in 2010. At the recent meeting in Zurich, he said, “we remembered what transpired in Stuttgart, worshipped God within the framework of a restored relationship and renewed our commitment to our ongoing journey of reconciliation.”
The Council received greetings from Metropolitan Kyrillos, co-president of the LWF-Orthodox Dialogue Commission. In his written message, the Orthodox Church leader reflected on recent joint statements on the Filioque and on the role of the Holy Spirit. Following those two important statements, he said, “we now stand at the threshold of a new and hopeful stage of theological reflection,” one that brings with it “a deeper insights into the inner life of the church which, by its very nature, is always synodal.”
It is the Holy Spirit that unites us as distinct parts of the universal Body of Christ.
Jean-Daniel Plüss, co-president of the Lutheran-Pentecostal dialogue
In greetings presented by local Bishop Martin Reakes-Williams, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Bishop Anthony Poggo referred to a recent summit meeting in Jordan of the International Commission on Unity and Mission (ALICUM) and the recent signing between the LWF and the Anglican Communion of a Memorandum of Understanding for Joint Advocacy. He noted that the Commission “will continue work on important theological questions and encourage our churches to pursue greater unity wherever possible, and to engage in shared mission.”
Jean-Daniel Plüss, co-president of the Luthera-Pentecostal dialogue, brought greetings from the Pentecostal World Fellowship. He reflected on the more than two decades of dialogue between the two communions and the value that these encounters can bring to local churches. He noted that the dialogues do not focus on doctrinal differences, but rather on how the faith is lived, revealing “many convergences and common convictions.” He highlighted the importance of the theme of witnessing for Pentecostals, affirming that “it is the Holy Spirit that brings us into closer communion with the triune God. And it is the Holy Spirit that unites us as distinct parts of the universal Body of Christ.”
Joshua Rathnam Chinthala, recently elected vice-president of the World Methodist Council, brought greetings from president Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett. He expressed gratitude for the long collaboration between Methodists and Lutherans and the spirit of hospitality that leads forward towards unity. He noted that in his country, India, Lutherans and Methodists cooperate closely together through the National Council of Churches.
Bearing witness to hope
Greetings were also received from the World Communion of Reformed Churches General Secretary Rev. Dr Setri Nyomi who reflected on the reaction of the first disciples to Jesus’ Ascension. Instead of feeling abandoned and alone, he noted, they were strengthened by the promise of the Holy Spirit, just as the church can be sustained by this promise in times of trial and abandonment. “The main characteristic of the Holy Spirit is hope. It is this hope that the church is called to bear witness to,” he said.
A message to the Council from the World Council of Churches General Secretary Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay stressed the need to “remain faithful to our Christian witness together in a world in which upheaval, instability and uncertainty are impacting us all.” He told the Council members that “as deeply valued partners across the whole range of ecumenical and diaconal programs, we treasure our many programatic ties and our shared work for justice, peace and reconciliation.
“The ecumenical participants at the LWF Council bring great joy,” said LWF Assistant General Secretary Prof. Dirk Lange, “as they remind us of our common journey towards communion and our common witness to the one Body of Christ.”
The 2025 LWF Council meeting takes place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 12 to 16 June on the theme “Be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8)
