The Rev. Elizabeth A.Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA),joined Lutheran and Catholic leaders for a joint ecumenical commemoration ofthe Reformation on Oct. 31 in Lund, Sweden.
Pope Francis; Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordanand the Holy Land and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) president; and MartinJunge, LWF general secretary, led the historic service at the Lund Cathedral.About 500 worshipers attended the Common Prayer service.
“With joy we have come to recognize that what unites us is far greater thanwhat divides us,” said Younan, in his opening welcome.
According to a LWF press release, Pope Francis told worshipers that “in thecontext of the commemoration of the Reformation of 1517, we have a newopportunity to accept a common path, one that has taken shape over the past 50years in the ecumenical dialogue between The Lutheran World Federation and theCatholic Church.”
In his sermon, Junge emphasized that both Lutherans and Catholics have “muchmore that unites us than that which separates us. We are branches of the samevine. We are one in Baptism. This is why we are here at this jointcommemoration: to rediscover who we are in Christ.”
During the service, Pope Francis and Younan signed a joint statement committingCatholics and Lutherans to deepening their communion and common witness forjustice.
Later in the day, thousands gathered at Malmo Arena under the theme “Togetherin Hope.”
According to the LWF, the event included performance artists andtestimonies by Lutheran and Catholic advocates for social justice andclimate issues from Burundi, Colombia, India, South Sudan and Syria. PopeFrancis and Younan offered responses to their testimonies.
During the event, Maria Immonen, LWF World Service director, and MichelRoy, Caritas Internationalis secretary general, signed a declaration of intentmutually committing the global Christian organizations to deepened relationshipsand closer cooperation in humanitarian response and sustainable development.
The Lutheran-Catholic joint statement is available here.
More information about the events in Sweden is available here.
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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
