Catholics and Lutherans are "on the right path" to reach an agreement
on the outstanding issues related to Church, the ministry and the
Eucharist, said Card Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, at a briefing today to present the visit the
pope is set to make to Sweden for the commemoration of the 500th
anniversary of the Reformation of Martin Luther (1517), which falls next
year."Mentioning the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's Reformation would have been impossible just a few years ago," said Rev Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.
Responding to a question, Card Koch said that the newness of the trip "consists in the very fact that we have a joint commemoration. In the past we had denominational centennials with a somewhat triumphalist and polemical tone by both parties. Today we want to do this together, not only for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, but also for 50 years of dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics."
The theme of the pope's visit is From conflict to communion: together in hope. For Junge, "we understand because of our dialogues, because of the trust that has grown among us, because also we have been able to remove some of the obstacles of doctrinal differences among us, that the time is mature, is ripe, to move ‘from conflict to communion’."
The trip entails the pope’s departure from Rome on the morning of 31 October for Malmö, followed by an official reception at the city's international airport at around 11 am.
In the afternoon, two ecumenical events will follow a visit with the Swedish royal family at Kungshuset palace in Lund. The first will be an ecumenical prayer at Lund’s Lutheran cathedral; the second will be a meeting with the 30 Lutheran delegations present at Malmö Arena.
The city of Lund was chosen because it is the headquarters of the Lutheran World Federation and the papal trip will not only commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation but also 50 years of dialogue between the Federation and the Holy See.
The next day, 1 November, the pope will celebrate Mass at Malmö’s Swedbank Stadion, and leave for Rome at 12.30 pm.
During the briefing, Vatican Press Office director Greg Burke said the pope is not expected to make any announcements about intercommunion, noting that Francis has already taken significant steps during his visit to Rome’s Lutheran church in November 2015.
On that occasion, responding to a question on intercommunion, the pontiff said, "I would never dare give permission to do this because I do not have the authority. One Baptism, one Lord, one faith. Speak with the Lord and go forward. I do not dare say more."
Both Rev Junge and Cardinal Koch recognised that the Joint Declaration on Justification notes that there is no agreement on three points, relative to the ministry, the Church and the Eucharist.
However, "On these issues, there is, at the regional level, an ongoing dialogue that is going well. We are on right path to resolve these three points, and we can get to the path of a new declaration on these issues."