Leading members of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) will visit the Holy Land together from 16-22 October, in a pilgrimage that will be a “common prelude to the Joint Festival of Christ agreed on by both Churches”, according to a statement from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
In July 2015 the EKD and the German Bishops’ Conference agreed to celebrate a “joint ‘fest’ for Jesus Christ” in 2017, the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting 95 theses in Wittenberg.
The letter sent by Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, EKD Council chairman, to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, reads: “The Reformation anniversary in 2017 is basically a festival of Christ that seeks to send the message of God’s free gift of grace to all people.” In his reply, Cardinal Marx praised the EKD’s invitation as “an expression of reliable relations. It shows that the EKD does not wish to celebrate its Reformation anniversary without its ecumenical partners.”
In June this year, Cardinal Marx and Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm exchanged letters making clear that “thinking back to the common roots of our faith” would be an essential part of the 2017 commemorations. They emphasised that both Churches were oriented towards following Jesus Christ and that “despite the separation in the Reformation period, they have more in common today than what divides them”.
The German bishops’ Holy Land journey will begin at Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). Visits to Bethlehem, Nablus, Burkin and Cremisan in the Palestinian Territories are also planned. From 18-22 October, the bishops will be in Jerusalem where talks with politicians and a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the Holocaust, are planned.
Meanwhile the Lutheran World Federation has released details of the two-day Joint Ecumenical Commemorations from 31 October to 1 November in Lund and Malmö in Sweden that will mark the official start of the 2017 Reformation Jubilee. The commemorations, which Pope Francis will attend, are jointly hosted by the LWF and the Catholic Church.
Some German Lutherans are said to be hurt that Sweden has been chosen for such an important Lutheran event, and not Germany where the Reformation began. Pope Francis has not yet declined to visit Germany, however, and he may attend next Easter’s Lutheran-Catholic Reconciliation Service in Germany.
Loading ...
