Slovak Lutherans, Catholics Celebrate Signing of the Doctrine of Justification
Slovak Lutherans and Catholics celebrated the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) with an ecumenical gathering in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, on Oct. 22, 2004.
The festival, jointly organized by the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic (ECAC-SR) and Roman Catholic Church, attracted ecumenical partners, educators, civic leaders, as well as representatives from various church groups outside of the Lutheran and Catholic traditions.
“God’s justifying grace continues to reconcile people and bring peace to the world. We want to discover and receive the renewing gifts of God’s mercy and join our hands in service to the world,” said the ECAR-SR General Bishop Dr Julius Filo.
The JDDJ was signed by representatives of the LWF and Roman Catholic Church on Oct. 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany. In essence, the document affirms that Lutherans and Catholics have reached an agreement on the basic truths regarding justification.
Similar celebrations of JDDJ’s fifth anniversary have been held worldwide, including a 2-day bishops’ gathering in the United States and a celebration in South Africa.
The Rev Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, who attended both the South Africa and the Slovak celebration, gave a presentation on the power of justification.
Others in attendance included: Monsignor Aldo Giordano, General Secretary of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences; representatives of Lutheran churches from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland; as well as key political leaders including Mr Pavol Hrusovsky, chairperson of the National Council (Parliament) of the Slovak Republic.
Roman Catholics make up 60 percent of the Slovak Republic’s 5.4 million people while Protestants make up 8.4 percent. The ECAC-SR has 372,858 members, and joined the LWF in 1947.
