Members of the Sixth Phase of the International Lutheran Catholic Commission on Unity. Photo: Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia
The launch of the Sixth Phase of the International Lutheran Catholic Commission on Unity bears fruit in Slovenia
(LWI) - “We discerned new perspectives and highlighted the deep ecumenical potential of the Augsburg Confession,” said Prof. Dr Dirk Lange, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations, following the launch of a new phase of theological dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.
Participants in the Sixth Phase of the International Lutheran Catholic Commission on Unity met from 2 to 8 February, hosted by the Lutheran congregation in the town of Moravske Toplice in northeastern Slovenia. During the week, the group met with the Catholic Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanslav Zore and visited Saint Nicholas Cathedral in the capital city. They also met with Slovenia’s President Nataša Pirc Musar, who encouraged the Commission in its work and stressed the importance of witnessing to dialogue in a very polarized world.
A key focus of this first meeting, noted Prof. Lange, was the drafting of a joint statement to mark the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 2030. “Our meeting got off to a very good start as members engaged with two key presentations on the history and content of the Augsburg Confession, its context in 1530 and the history of its reception,” he explained.
Continuing a 60-year tradition of Lutheran-Catholic dialogue
Co-chaired by Bishop Patricia Lull, who leads the Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and by Bishop Raimo Goyarrola, who leads the Catholic diocese of Helsinki, Finland, the Commission includes members from all parts of the globe: from Argentina to Australia, from Namibia to Indonesia, from North America and from the three LWF European regions.
Slovenia’s President Nataša Pirc Musar greets Commission co-chair Bishop Patricia Lull. Photo: Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia
Slovenia’s President Nataša Pirc Musar highlighted the importance of witnessing to dialogue in a polarized world. Photo: Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia
Reflecting on the Commission’s work, Lange noted that it continues a long tradition of Lutheran-Catholic dialogue which began over 60 years ago in the wake of the landmark Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church. “In 1965, American Lutheran theologian George Lindbeck approached the then Secretary of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, Father Jan Willebrands,” he recalled. “Those informal conversations led to the start of the official dialogue between the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church in 1967.”
These conversations in Slovenia were lively and generative, leaving us with great hope for the work ahead.
Prof. Dr Dirk Lange, LWF Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations
The first phase of that dialogue produced the Malta Report that was “visionary in its intent and outlined several trajectories and questions that would define the following phases of the work of the Commission,” Lange continued. Meanwhile, the prolific second phase produced six documents, including the 1980 All Under One Christ, which commemorated the 450th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession.
“A key question that the Sixth Phase of our Commission began grappling with was the changes that have taken place since 1980,” Lange said. These include the milestone Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, signed in 1999 and the document From Conflict to Communion, which paved the way for the joint 500th commemoration of the Reformation in 2016. “Our conversations in Slovenia were lively and generative,” Lange concluded, “leaving us with great hope for the coming sessions and for the work ahead.”
The launch of the Sixth Phase of the International Lutheran Catholic Commission on Unity took place from 2 to 8 February, hosted by the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia and accompanied by its current Bishop Aleksander Erniša, as well as Bishop Emeritus Leon Novak. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in February 2027.
