Posted on 03/23/2009 7:28:25 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
An international expert on church unity has urged the Roman Catholic Church to declare officially that its excommunication of Martin Luther no longer applies.
Such a statement, "in these ecumenically less exciting times ... would be a remarkable step and a sign of hope and encouragement", said the Rev Günther Gassmann, a German Lutheran theologian, who was director of the World Council of Churches' Faith and Order Commission from 1984 to 1995.
Born in 1483, Luther trained as a Catholic monk, but was excommunicated by the Catholic Church in 1521 after refusing to retract teachings the church judged to be heretical.
In a 19 March lecture in Rome, Gassmann said that a joint Lutheran-Catholic statement published in 1983 to mark the 500th anniversary of Luther's birth had sought to elaborate a common position on the work and legacy of the reformer.
"Luther, a major symbol and personification during 400 years of the past Catholic-Lutheran conflict and division, is now seen as a common teacher," Gassmann noted, at the Centro Pro Unione, an ecumenical research centre in the Italian capital.
He urged the Catholic Church to receive officially, "this changed evaluation of Martin Luther".
In 2008, the Vatican's top official for Christian unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, encouraged Catholics to read Luther's hymns, which he declared were "full of spiritual power", and his commentaries on the Bible.
"One will then discover a Luther who is full of the power of faith, whom one cannot simply make Catholic, whom we find provoking and even alien in many respects, but from whom even Catholics can learn," said Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity since 2001.
Gassmann presented an overview of the results of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue from 1965 to 2005. He praised the 1999 signing by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation of a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification as a "unique" event.
This represented, he said, "an agreement concerning the most fundamental theological difference between Catholics and Lutherans at the time of the Reformation and ever since".
It was the first, and so far only, time that the Catholic Church and one of its dialogue partners have officially confirmed the results of a bilateral dialogue, Gassmann added.
Gassmann noted that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - now Pope Benedict XVI - had been involved in the latter stage of talks that led to the signing of the declaration.
"The Joint Declaration continues to act as an impulse and encouragement of both initiating and intensifying Catholic-Lutheran relationships in many places of the world," he said, also drawing attention to the acceptance of the statement by the World Methodist Council in 2006.
Gassmann urged the LWF, a global grouping of Lutheran churches, and the Vatican's Christian Unity council to set up a special group to evaluate results of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue with a view to them being submitted for "official reception and affirmation".
These included statements on the Eucharist and on other issues that have divided the Lutheran and Catholic churches, such as the nature of ordained ministry. Although differences remain, "We can speak of a far-reaching agreement on the doctrine and practice of the Eucharist. This represents a significant result," said Gassmann.
"This [official affirmation] would have an enormous impact on our churches," said Gassmann. "This would inspire ecumenical hope and confidence in our time."
[With acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Conference of European Churches.]
This represented, he said, "an agreement concerning the most fundamental theological difference between Catholics and Lutherans at the time of the Reformation and ever since".
It was the first, and so far only, time that the Catholic Church and one of its dialogue partners have officially confirmed the results of a bilateral dialogue, Gassmann added.
Gassmann noted that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - now Pope Benedict XVI - had been involved in the latter stage of talks that led to the signing of the declaration.
Hey, yer holiness - keep it.
And I’m sure Luther is waiting with bated breath for the Pontiff’s response.
It has been decided, between most thoughtful people, that the split was primarily one of politics, distance, communication and translation.
Martin Luther never really intended to start a new Church, at first.
Also, Martin Luther actually wrote Henry VIII a letter instructing Henry VIII that he had NO valid reason to leave the Roman Catholic Church.
That letter is still in the Vatican Museum.
As Christians, our battle is really with the radical atheists and the radical Muslims.
Those differences that do not present a barrier to salvation are simply not worth the pain of “excommunication” -—
After all, what Martin Luther did is nothing, compared to:
Notre Dame
Nancy Pelosi
John Kerry
Kathleen Sebelius
Ted Kennedy
Or any number of “Catholics” who proudly proclaim their pro abortion views.
As a Catholic, I support this idea.
To reverse the excommunication is not at all to say that the Catholic Church is in 100% agreement with Catholic Father Luther.
However, it would go a long way towards healing some old wounds that never should have been inflicted, by both sides, in the first place.
Not until Martin COMES back and repairs that hole he left in the door of Castle Church!!
j/k I was raised Lutheran.
You Catholic bashers need to learn a little history.
He praised the 1999 signing by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation of a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification as a "unique" event.
I'm going to hazard a guess, not having read the document, that the document is filled with vague language that hopeful but doctrinally vague ecumenists read as they want, and that Rome has changed it's stance not one whit.
---Sola Fide!
The emporer is still nekkid. Common teacher? ARF!
Personally I do not see why this should be desired nor pushed for. It makes no difference. Will it cause Lutherans to rush headlong back to the RCC? Maybe the most veneered liberals, the vast majority, no. Does it change the theological differences between the two? Of course not.
And why any Lutheran would care that Luther’s excommunication by a church they do not belong to is beyond me, as it’s a badge of honor and there is no power behind it anyway.
I don’t think anybody here bashes Catholics...just the government thereof.
Luther left the Catholic Church. He excommunicated himself. It won’t get reversed or revoked.
Ex-Communicate - Kennedy, Pelosi and everyone at the sports franchise Notre Dame university for sucking up to the Kenyan-born muslim abortionist. Also excommun the RINOs who voted for Hussein.
Notre Dame is a disgrace. Also dump the stinking liberal bishops and priests at the (American) Catholic Church who support ACORN and La Raza.
And will the Lutherans revoke their rejection of the Council of Trent?
Luther’s ideas about reform were good.
Luther would probably be against the vermin at Notre Dame the sports school fawning support of the Islamic abortionist/pop cult icon.
Rome should be smacking down Notre Dame and the bishops/priests/CINOs who support La Raza, Kennedy, Pelosi, ACORN and the boy Islamic.
I am hoping Pope Benedict is listening. He is warning Europe about Islam - he gets it.
U.S. Bishops Cut All Funding to ACORN, Activities Funded Hard to Determine
Bishop discusses reasons behind cutoff of ACORN funding
Catholic Church drops ACORN funding
You can read it in full here, Lee. I would also suggest you take a look at HarleyD's responses on that thread.
I’m not bashing anything or any one … just made public a personal opinion and observation.
I’d suggest cleaning up city hall, before worrying about annexing anybody.
What untruths? They gave millions to ACORN. The bishops behind that need to be booted out of the church they need to be fired. They helped elect an abortionist.
I am not against the church just the stinking liberal rats harming the church.
With BXVI being the driving force behind the last round of Lutheran/Catholic talks, I can maybe see this.
Not that it would change much.
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