Joint statement on the occasion of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation
The Joint statement on the occasion of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation was signed by Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and Bishop Munib Younan, president of the Lutheran World Federation, on 31 October 2016 during a Reformation Day traditional service at the Lund Cathedral in Lund, Sweden.[1]
This was the first time leaders of the Catholic Church had met representatives of the Lutheran World Federation as part of a commemoration of the Reformation Day. Pope Francis explicitly stated that it was not a "celebration" because of the schism that had resulted; rather, he termed it a "commemoration" in order to pursue a dialogue with the Lutheran Protestants. The traditional service heralded 12 months of events leading up to the 500th anniversary in 2017 of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany.[1]
References
- Harriet Sherwood (31 October 2016). "Catholics and Lutherans sign joint declaration 'accepting common path'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2016.