by John R. Brooks, ELCA News Service
An 18-member delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) visited the Evangelical Lutheran community in
Rome, a worshiping community of about 350 members. The community
is one of 14 Lutheran congregations in all of Italy, part of the
7,000-member Lutheran Church of Italy in Rome, said the Rev.
Matthias Fricke-Zieseniƒ, pastor.
The congregation conducts worship services most Sundays in
German, and one Sunday a month worship is in Italian, he said
during the March 23 meeting. Fricke-Zieseniƒ said the community
is an active member of "Churches Together in Rome," an
organization of local churches, although Lutheranism in Rome is
virtually unknown even among Roman Catholic priests.
The oldest Lutheran congregation in Italy was founded in Venice
in 1580. The Rome Lutheran community, founded in 1817, was the
site of a significant historical event. In 1983 Pope John Paul
II visited the community and preached. It was the first time a
pope had preached from a Lutheran pulpit since the Reformation,
Fricke-Zieseniƒ said.
LINKS:
Evangelical Lutheran community in Rome
http://roma.katolsk.no/non_catholic.htm
Evangelical Lutheran Church on Italy
http://elki-celi.org/it/
"Churches Together in Rome"
http://www.stpaulsrome.it/english/ecumenism/churches.html
Pope John Paul II visited the community and preached
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP831211.HTM
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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.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
