CHICAGO (ELCA) -- With Pope Benedict XVI's election, Christians should pray that God "may bless, strengthen and guide him as a heavy mantle of responsibility is now being put upon him," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, in a joint statement issued April 19.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, of Germany was elected pope by the College of Cardinals, meeting at The Vatican to elect a successor to the late Pope John Paul II. Ratzinger assumed the name Benedict, which comes from Latin for "blessing."
The unity of the church -- which Jesus Christ prayed for -- is an important goal to strive for, and will also be a major contribution to the unity of humankind, the two Lutheran world leaders said. Pope Benedict XVI will meet "strong expectations" in this area, since the hope for Christian unity calls for significantly new approaches, they said.
"As Lutherans we expect especially that ecumenical progress can be made on the basis of the substantial theological agreements that have been achieved through 40 years of international Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue, particularly with regard to justification, ministry and sacraments," the statement said. "Let us pray together that God may show us ways forward by the guidance of the Holy Spirit."
The Lutheran leaders pledged to support the new pope with "the prayer that he will be given the grace to continue the ministry of his predecessors in a process of steady renewal, for the benefit of the church universal and of humanity."
Hanson and Noko noted that history has demonstrated the impact of the pope on events in church and in society. They said they see "urgency" in reconciliation across religious, ethnic and economic divides.
"The main contribution of the churches in the face of this common challenge is the message of God's free, justifying grace, with its many spiritual and social consequences," said Hanson and Noko. "The significance of this message was ecumenically recognized five years ago when the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification was signed."
"By God's grace the value of the human person is immeasurable," they continued. "It must not be violated by religiously based aggression or by abuses of economic or military power. Human dignity must be protected from continuing gender-based oppression. The ravages of preventable illnesses must be curbed by social development and adequate ethical guidance."
Faced with these challenges and many others, the new pope will be expected not only to continue the many contributions of Pope John Paul II, but also to provide new strategies, Hanson and Noko said.
---
The full text of this statement can be found at http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/1649.EN.html on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
- - -
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.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
