by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates his 80th birthday on April 16, and
the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, sent a letter of congratulations and best
wishes. "I pray that your ministry of vision and friendship as
Bishop of Rome and primate of the Roman Catholic Church will
continue for many years to come," Hanson wrote.
The full text of the letter is attached to a Lutheran World
Information news release.
Hanson thanked the pope for greetings he sent to the LWF's 60th
anniversary celebration in March and for his reference to the
historic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification that
the LWF and Catholic Church signed in 1999. Hanson expressed his
hope that future celebrations "will take into account the
magnitude of this declaration for our communions today and
likewise capture the urgency of our work together tomorrow."
Hanson concluded, "I believe Lutherans and Roman Catholics
throughout the world are blessed by these relationships and these
essential questions, and I thank God for your leadership at this
time."
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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
