Pope Francis receives delegation from the Lutheran World Federation

On 20 June, Pope Francis received in audience a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), led by the new LWF President, Bishop Henrik Stubkjær.

In his address to the representatives of the various regions of world Lutheranism, the Holy Father emphasised that we are journeying together as "pilgrims of hope".

Looking ahead to the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in 2025, he said: "Jesus Christ is the heart of ecumenism. He is divine mercy incarnate, and our ecumenical mission is to bear witness to him." At the same time, he remembered that Catholics and Lutherans had signed the "Joint Official Statement" on the doctrine of justification on 31 October 1999. He expressed the wish that this year's 25th anniversary would be a "celebration of hope" in our congregations, in remembrance of the "one baptism for the forgiveness of sins".

As part of his greeting, Bishop Stubkjær, together with LWF General Secretary, Revd Dr Anne Burghardt, presented a symbolic gift: "This bullet has been turned into a small vase with flowers, made by the children from the Lutheran congregation in Kharkiv. With this vase, they want to express the hope that no child would die through such bullets and that neighbouring countries could live in peace with each other, without aggression or the need to oppress the other."

On 19 June, the LWF delegation visited the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU). In conversation with Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the DPCU, Archbishop Flavio Pace, the new Secretary, and Father Dr Augustinus Sander OSB, staff member responsible for relations with Lutherans, current issues and tasks of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue were discussed.

Members of the LWF delegation:

Bishop Henrik STUBKJÆR, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (LWF President)
Bishop Chun Wa CHANG, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (VP Asia)
Bishop Dr Tamás FABINY, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (VP Central Eastern Europe)
Bishop Kristina KÜHNBAUM-SCHMIDT, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany (VP Central Western Europe) 
Rev. Prof. Dr Arnfriđur GUĐMUNDSDÓTTIR, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (VP Nordics) 
Ms Isabella REIMANN GNAS, Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (VP Latin America and Caribbean) 
Rev. Carsten GERDES, Dean of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy
Rev. Dr Anne BURGHARDT, General Secretary LWF (Estonia)
Rev. Prof. Dr Dirk G. LANGE, Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations, LWF (Canada)
Ms. Maria IMMONEN, Director LWF World Service (Finland)
Rev. Árni DANIELSSON, LWF Communications (Iceland)