A Point of No Return?

Ecumenical Review, The, April, 2000 by Peder Norgaard-Hojen

The authors of the Joint Declaration themselves do not doubt that their statement overcomes the church-dividing controversy on the justification issue and thus paves the way for substantial changes in the relationship between the two confessions:

   The understanding of the doctrine of justification set forth in this
   declaration shows that a consensus in basic truths of the doctrine of
   justification exists between Lutherans and Catholics. In light of this
   consensus, the remaining differences of language, theological elaboration
   and emphasis in the understanding of justification described in paras 18 to
   39 are acceptable. Therefore the Lutheran and the Catholic explications of
   justification are in their difference open to one another and do not
   destroy the consensus regarding basic truths.

      Thus the doctrinal condemnations of the 16th century, in so far as they
   relate to the doctrine of justification, appear in a new light. The
   teaching of the Lutheran churches presented in this declaration does not
   fall under the condemnations from the council of Trent. The condemnations
   in the Lutheran confessions do not apply to the teaching of the Roman
   Catholic Church presented in this declaration (nos 40-41).

The official responses to the Joint Declaration

The 1997 version of the Joint Declaration was submitted to the constituencies of the Roman Catholic-Lutheran dialogue commission for reaction. On 27 February 1997 the LWF general secretary wrote to the Federation's 122 member churches and 2 associate member churches asking them to accept the Joint Declaration and to confirm that the mutual condemnations of the Reformation and the Tridentine period therefore no longer apply. Despite the outbreak of a ferocious, furious and sometimes even vicious controversy among theologians and church leaders in some parts of Lutheranism, by 8 June 1998 79 had responded positively, 5 negatively, and 2 were "difficult to interpret, but seem to be no" (LWF Response, para. 20).(4) One of those peculiar answers came from Denmark. It was not after all so peculiar, refuting as it did the Joint Declaration as a consensus on the doctrine of justification, while (logically enough) at the same time stressing the necessity of continued dialogue.

Disregarding the theological hesitations, the LWF council, meeting on 16 June 1998, recommended "that on the basis of the positive responses of the said majority, the agreements regarding the doctrine of justification as presented in the Joint Declaration be affirmed, and that on the basis of these agreements, the doctrinal condemnations in the Lutheran confessional writings regarding justification be declared not to apply to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church as presented in the Joint Declaration" (para. 37). The general secretary was asked to consult with the appropriate Lutheran and Catholic authorities how the Joint Declaration "might most appropriately be jointly confirmed by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church" (para. 41), once the Roman Catholic response -- which the LWF council obviously expected to be positive -- was published.