GARRISON, N.Y. -- The Paul Wattson Christian Unity Award will be presented to the Rev. John F. Hotchkin, STD, and Dr. George A. Lindbeck by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. The awards ceremony will take place at noon Oct. 27 at the Interreligious Center Chapel in New York.
Lindbeck, a Lutheran scholar, is Pitkin Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology at Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Hotchkin is executive director of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Office for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Both of this year's honorees were instrumental in the early development of the history-making "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," signed Oct. 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church.
The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, based in Garrison, N.Y., are a fraternal religious community in the Roman Catholic Church. The Paul Wattson Christian Unity Award has been presented by them on nine occasions since 1961 to ecumenists such as the Rev. Martin E. Marty, Riverside, Ill., a well-known religious scholar and pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Other previous recipients include Cardinal Augustin Bea, Cardinal Lawrence Shehan, Archbishop Michael Ramsey of Canterbury and Pere Yves Congar, O.P.
"These two eminent ecumenists have been part of a very long process of dialogue," said the Rev. Arthur M. Johnson, SA, minister general of Franciscan Friars. "Father Hotchkin and Dr. Lindbeck are major players in the search for Christian unity, and we acknowledge them in a spirit of gratitude and respect. Their commitment to the cause of Christian unity will be a source of encouragement to the next generation of ecumenists."
Lindbeck and Hotchkin have served the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue for more than 30 years. They participated in the publication of important studies such as "The Gospel and the Church" (1972), "The Eucharist" (1978), "Ways to Community" (1980) and "Ministry in the Church" (1981). Both signed "Facing Unity" (1988), which examined how Christians might find practical ways of promoting Christian unity.
The Joint Declaration in 1999 is considered by many scholars to be among the most important church documents since the Protestant Reformation, which began in the 16th century. For example, the National Catholic Review calls the Joint Declaration "a blockbuster agreement, a crowning achievement of the ecumenical dialogue." -----
*Katrinka Walter is director of public relations, Franciscan Friars
of the Atonement.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
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