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Catholic and Lutheran bishops have signed a declaration that they hope solidifies areas of “consensus” on matters of faith while providing a path forward for more dialogue.
"Pope Francis in his recent visit to the United States emphasized again and again the need for and importance of dialogue,” explained Bishop Denis J. Madden, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore and co-chair of the task force that authored the document the “Declaration on the Way.” He added that the declaration “represents in concrete form an opportunity for Lutherans and Catholics to join together now in a unifying manner on a way finally to full communion.” The declaration, published on Oct. 30, Reformation Day, commemorates 50 years of dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans and points ahead to the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.It lists areas of “consensus” between Catholics and Lutherans on matters of the church, the Eucharist, and ministry while acknowledging that full agreement and communion have not yet been achieved. Both the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs committee and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s Conference of Bishops “unanimously affirmed” 32 statements of agreement on the church, the Eucharist, and ministry that were outlined in the declaration.
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