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MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL 
OF THE WORLD COMMUNION OF REFORMED CHURCHES
ON THE OCCASION OF ITS ASSOCIATION WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION


5 July 2017

 

On 5 July 2017, within the framework of an ecumenical liturgy held in Wittenberg, Germany, representatives of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) signed a formal act of association with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), in the presence of delegates from the Lutheran, Methodist and Catholic Churches. The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity was represented by the Secretary, Bishop Brian Farrell, and Reverend Avelino Gonzalez, of the Western Section of the Dicastery.

Originally signed by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church in 1999, the JDDJ describes an agreement on what was one of the more significant church dividing issues at the time of the Reformation – Justification, or how we are made righteous before God. In 2006, the World Methodist Council and its member churches signed a statement of association with the JDDJ. The Anglican Consultative Council in 2016 passed a resolution that welcomed and affirmed the substance of the JDDJ. This step was marked liturgically in Westminster Abbey on 31 October 2017 at the close of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation.

We publish below the ‘Official Common Declaration’, final section of the document ‘Association of the World Communion of Reformed Churches with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification’ issued at the end of the gathering in Wittenberg, followed by a brief introductory greeting of Bishop Brian Farrell and by the Message of Pope Francis.

 

Official common affirmation

In this Statement the World Communion of Reformed Churches affirms fundamental doctrinal agreement with the teaching expressed in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed at Augsburg on 31 October 1999 on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. The World Methodist Council affirmed their fundamental doctrinal agreement on 23 July 2006.

The signing partners of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification join together in welcoming the above Statement of the World Communion of Reformed Churches which declares and demonstrates Reformed agreement with the consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of justification as expressed in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.

Building on their shared affirmation of basic truths of the doctrine of justification, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists and Reformed commit themselves to strive together for the deepening of their common understanding of justification in theological study, teaching and preaching.

The present achievement and commitment are viewed by the four parties as part of their pursuit of the full communion and common witness to the world which is the will of Christ for all Christians.

 

Brief introductory greeting by Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We are gathered here – together – in Wittenberg, conscious of what all that happened in this place signifies in the history of the Church and of the world in the last five hundred years. Being here helps us to realize again that the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification opened the way towards a new era of dialogue, friendship and growing trust between the Churches.

We are now on the necessary and exciting path of healing and reconciliation, rediscovering how much in fact we share. Practically all the historical Churches are now in agreement on the Doctrine of Justification, a fundamental issue of the conflict at the time of Reformation. And agreement on Justification provides the basis for a more profound common witness. The abiding Methodist concern with holiness of life and the Reformed emphasis on the pursuit of justice, with which Catholics and Lutherans fully concur, point to our shared calling to Christian discipleship. We now have a stronger reason for walking together and working together – and not in isolation – in addressing the critical social and ethical questions affecting our world.

Let us look forward to a more intensive witness to the hope that is in us through Christ Jesus (cf. 1 Pt 3:15), in the Spirit who renews and transforms us.

In this hope and commitment I am very pleased to read the Message of Pope Francis to this gathering.

 

Message of Pope Francis

As the General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches assembles in Wittenberg, I send warm greetings and the assurance of my closeness in prayer to all present.

I am especially happy that, in this year commemorating the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation, you have gathered to sign a formal act of association with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. This highly significant ecumenical event will take place in the presence of the original signatories – the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church – as well as representatives of the World Methodist Council, which has also associated itself with the Declaration.

The process of study and prayerful discernment that led to this step will now bear fruit in an eloquent sign of our commitment to walking together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, on a journey from conflict to communion, from division to reconciliation. It is likewise an invitation to continued trust in the power of the Holy Spirit, who guides the followers of Jesus towards a shared vision of righteousness, growth in holiness, and increased missionary zeal for the spread of the Gospel and the salvation of the world.

Together with great joy, today’s formal act also brings new challenges and responsibilities in our pursuit of fidelity to the Gospel and unity in truth. May it mark a new stage of fellowship and cooperation in the service of justice and peace in our human family. Let us not be afraid to seek together creative ways of bearing witness to the saving power of the Cross, which is the source of our reconciliation and all our hope (cf. Col 1:21-23).

Dear brothers and sisters, I join you in thanking God for this day of grace. Upon all present, and all who have contributed to its celebration, I cordially invoke a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s gifts of wisdom, joy and peace.

 

From the Vatican, 29 June 2017