THIRD GLOBAL CHRISTIAN FORUM
(BOGOTÁ, 24–27 APRIL 2018)
ADDRESS OF BISHOP BRIAN FARRELL
Testimony: Catholic–Lutheran Relationship
(25 April 2018)
As everyone knows, for centuries relations between Catholics and Lutherans were beyond bad. With the word ‘Reformation’, Protestants associate terms like ‘rediscovery of the Gospel’, the certainty of faith, freedom of conscience; Catholics immediately think of division in the Church. That long history includes religious wars with hundreds of thousands of victims. In 1521, Pope Leo X publicly excommunicated Luther as a heretic. 495 years later, the successor of Leo, Pope Francis, together with the Lutheran World Federation, went to Lund in Sweden and solemnly commemorated the fifth centenary of the Reformation in the place where the Commission for Catholic–Lutheran dialogue first gathered in 1967.
How was this possible? It involved years of preparation which led to the drafting of three important texts: the fundamental document entitled ‘From Conflict to Communion’, the ‘Ecumenical Worship Service’ jointly prepared especially for the occasion (now called the ‘Lund Liturgy’), and the Joint Statement signed by Pope Francis on behalf of the Catholic Church and by President Bishop Younan, on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation. All three documents highlight the sentiments that inspired the joint commemoration: gratitude to God for the positive outcomes of the Reformation; regret for the division of the Church; and commitment to a new era of collaboration in service and mission.
You might say that the Catholic journey to the Lund event began almost sixty years ago when the Second Vatican Council acknowledged that in the history of the Church, “people of both sides were to blame” for the divisions, and that those “who are now born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation” (Unitatis redintegratio, 3). This acknowledgment meant that Catholics admitted that blame for the separation in the sixteenth century was not all on the other side, but on our side too. It opened the road to a deep and transforming purification of memory, going beyond the unilateral and self–centered way in which, for centuries, Catholics and Protestants had presented the Reformation.
A brief word about the underlying dynamic of this change. Social memory operates by stereotyping the adversary and by selecting those parts of history that support a partisan view of ourselves as “the good ones”, the ones who were unjustly treated and hurt. Listening carefully to the other leads us to correct our partial and self–serving perceptions and to recognize that, behind the confrontation, there remained a substantial unity in diversity. Fifty years of ecumenical dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics aimed at seeing things as the other side sees them and gathering the good which is present in each tradition, learning from each other. This is not about being nice or naive. The purification of memory can only take place by starting from a deeper understanding of the truth of things, overcoming the deformed truths – nowadays called ‘fake news’ – handed down from generation to generation in defense of each confession’s identity and self–affirmation.
So, based on sound historical research, Catholics have come to recognize the legitimate right that Luther had to be indignant about the idea that the eternal salvation of the soul, and first of all his own, was subordinated to a “system” similar to a barter – a kind of quid pro quo – , implemented by clerics who were not always examples of good conduct and of theological competence. That is what Luther saw in the practice of indulgences. Not surprisingly, his criticisms – which went to the heart of that “system” – provoked a vigorous reaction.
Lutherans have come to recognize that Luther’s particular understanding of the Gospel and his temperament, and the religious, social and political upheaval triggered by his protest, did not lead to the reform of the Church as he first intended, but to its division.
Perhaps the phrase that best describes how a joint commemoration of the Reformation between Catholics and Lutherans became possible is found in the Joint Declaration signed by Pope Francis and Bishop Younan during the common prayer at Lund: “While the past cannot be changed, its influence upon us today can be transformed”. In ecumenical dialogue, this is the principle behind the “purification of memory”: the search for a more truthful and balanced understanding and judgment of the deep differences that gave rise to our separation.
Five centuries of conflict, rivalry and prejudice between Catholics and Protestants is being overcome, slowly but surely, through a profound conversion – a journey in the opposite direction – that allows the churches together to distance themselves from the mistakes and exaggerations that led to their separation and to discern and take up the gifts that God is giving to each.
LUND
The Joint Commemoration of the Reformation at Lund was not just about Christians of different confessions getting together to pray and remember events of the past. It was a profound spiritual meeting of our corporate, ecclesial communities, recognizing each other as fellow travelers on a path of reconciliation we have chosen together, in response to Jesus’ prayer and the urging of the Holy Spirit. This journey is meant to lead us in the end to full and visible communion in the Body of Christ.
So, LUND was a grace–filled spiritual meeting of communities that refuse to be resigned to division, but instead keep alive the hope of reconciliation. Today, the churches are committed not to continue, as in the past, to use their differences to remain separated.
At Lund we reflected on the Father as the “vinedresser” who is constantly concerned for our relationship with Jesus (Jn 15:4). The one thing he desires is for us to abide like living branches in his Son Jesus. But Jesus says: “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (v.5). The Reformation principle ‘By grace alone’ means that God always takes the initiative, prior to any human response, even as he seeks to awaken that response. That is why at LUND we gave thanks that the Reformation helped to give greater centrality to Sacred Scripture in the life of all our churches. And we Catholics recognized that the spiritual experience of Martin Luther challenges us to remember that apart from God we can do nothing. “How can I find a propitious God?” was the question that haunted Luther. It is also the decisive question of all our lives.
Lund was a prayerful plea for unity from the very heart of our churches “so that the world may believe”. Catholics and Lutherans committed themselves to be credible witnesses of forgiveness, renewal and reconciliation in a world that seems ever more divided and empty of meaning. Lund was a point of arrival after many years of growing closeness between Lutherans and Catholics. It was also a point of departure for all the signatories of the JDDJ towards intermediate goals of greater mutual recognition and more effective, practical cooperation in mission and service. This was exemplified in the signing of an agreement of cooperation between Caritas and Lutheran Service.
The immediate significance of the Lund event is this: clear awareness that Christians, even if still divided, can no longer live in isolation, let alone in conflict, when it comes to witnessing to the Gospel before the world.
But what does the multilateral Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification mean in the life of our churches?
Now that Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Reformed and Anglicans agree with the substance of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, practically the whole of Western historical Christianity has overcome one of the fundamental controversies of the sixteenth century.
What does this mean now in the life of our churches?
I think the question can be posed on two levels: spiritual and ecclesial.
1) Spiritual:
A major source of mutual misunderstanding and apprehension has been taken away. Therefore the members of the five signatory confessions should expect to feel a deeper sense of fellowship in the grace of Jesus Christ; therefore, a fuller recognition of each other as Christians travelling the same path of justification through the grace of Jesus Christ; and a shared commitment to show that justification in works of goodness and service. In other words there is no reason for these Christians to hesitate to pray together, to work together and to support each other in every form of solidarity.
2) Ecclesial:
There is however a more difficult question. What should the multilateral Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification mean in institutional relations between the churches? So far the churches themselves have said little about this hugely hopeful aspect of the agreement. But many of us are convinced that the JDDJ and the Lund event contain “something new” that the churches have to uncover and assimilate. The Holy Spirit has worked something new that now needs to be understood and acted upon.
As we all know, the churches and their leadership are overwhelmed by enormous demands on their attention and capacity to respond. So it is up to us to help them. The five signatories have agreed to hold a high–level consultation on the ecclesial implications of the Joint Declaration in Spring of 2019. This is one of the initiatives aimed at “hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Rev 2:29) in this particular area, the importance of which for the future of Christianity is immeasurable.
From this session on ‘Relationships Old and New’, I hope that we will be convinced that God is guiding his church in new ways. Allow me to repeat some words of Pope Francis:
“God is the God of surprises, God is always new.... he always surprises us.... they did not understand the many signs which Jesus did, ... they forgot that they were a people on a journey. On a journey! And when we set out on a journey, when we are on a path, we always discover new things, things which we did not know.”