Living Theology
in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church
In America
Volume 5, Number 1
Lent 2000
At first, rain threatened to spoil Reformation Day 1999, but by 9:00 a.m. the sun had dispelled the clouds and an unusually warm day enveloped the historic city of Augsburg, Germany, which would witness yet one more momentous event before sunset. Bells pealed from churches throughout the city announcing an event of great joy.
Those attending the signing of the Joint Declaration
on the Doctrine of Justification first gathered that morning in the Roman
Catholic Cathedral for a service described as a “statio,” a place of confession
and baptismal remembrance prior to the procession to the Lutheran Church of St.
Anna, the place of the actual signing ceremony. The Roman Catholic bishop of Augsburg and the Oberkirchenrat (superintendent)
of Bavaria presided at the service of repentance, but all the while the
glorious sounds of Palestrina’s Psalm 100, a psalm of praise and thanksgiving,
set the tone for the day.
Then it was time for the procession through the city
streets to St. Anna’s. I was expecting
the usual outdoor procession, the kind so many of us have on the Sunday of the
Passion when we have all we can do to keep 100 or so people together singing
“All Glory, Laud, and Honor.” Not so in
Augsburg. These were Germans hosting
this historic event. Loudspeakers had
been strung the length of the one-mile procession so the choirs from the
Cathedral were able to lead the singing.
Thousands lined the street and joined in alternating Lutheran chorales
and Taize chants. There were tears in
the eyes of so many. Positive
ecumenical relations between Roman Catholics and Lutherans have existed for at
best 15 years in this part of the world.
To many this was a miracle happening in front of their eyes. The townspeople swelled the procession, led
by an acolyte carrying a large silver crucifix, and many others were carrying
banners, others swinging incense, still others ringing bells, adding to the
festive solemnity of the day. The
expected protestors never materialized.
Instead, as we entered the church, a leaflet was thrust into our hands
advocating the immediate sharing of Holy Communion between the two churches.
Upon arrival at St. Anna’s we were greeted by hundreds of
people filling the streets, singing, and wanting see as much as possible. Later we learned thousands more had gathered
inside and outside a huge tent on the city square plaza where a large
projection screen surrounded by flowers provided a simulcast. Inside the church, ablaze with television
lights for broadcast throughout Germany and on the Internet, more were awaiting
the procession to arrive.
The service was extraordinarily beautiful, opening with
two Bach preludes played on a stunning 16th century instrument. The choir sang a full range of music,
including the familiar Zimbabwe “Alleluia” before the reading of the
Gospel. Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy,
president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity,
offered the first homily, an impressive treatise on the doctrine of
justification. At the end of his
remarks, Cardinal Cassidy announced that at the Angelus audience following Mass
at St. Peter’s, the pope would endorse in the strongest terms what was being
done in Augsburg. Lutheran World
Federation president Christian Krause offered the second homily, a strong
Lutheran statement on justification that was thoughtful and hopeful.
After several readings from the document, the actual
signing ceremony began, accompanied by the strains of Maurice Durufle’s
Variations (both organ and choral) on “Veni Creator.” Cardinal Cassidy and President Krause each signed two books, one
in English, one in German. They were
followed by LWF General Secretary Ishmael Noko and Bishop Walter Kaspar,
secretary of the Pontifical Council.
Spontaneous applause erupted, drowning out the music. Tears flowed easily as the rest of the
Lutherans signed. ELCA Presiding Bishop
George Anderson was the last to sign.
He admitted to us later the emotion of the moment made his signature
almost illegible (not really true).
Behind the signers sat some of the architects of the document: Eugene
Brand, Harding Meyer, and Michael Root.
The church’s ancient hymn of thanksgiving, the Te Deum, was
intoned, and to close the service, the great Lutheran chorale, “How Brightly Shines
the Morning Star” was sung. History had
been made.
The significance of this event was celebrated in other
ways during the three days that the official delegations visited the city of
Augsburg. An opening reception on
Friday evening was an opportunity to meet and greet people from around the
world, many of whom have been our teachers on Lutheran and Roman Catholic
systematic theology through their many writings.
Saturday morning provided an opportunity for the civic
celebration of the signing of the Joint Declaration. (Keep in mind that in Bavaria, it is difficult to distinguish
between sacred and secular events.)
Invited guests were ushered into the baroque Golden Hall of Augsburg’s
city hall for a series of lectures (very German!) by both secular and
ecclesiastical authorities. In one of
the great highlights of the weekend, the lectures were interspersed with
various children’s musical groups performing music both ancient and modern, a
sign of hope for the future of the Church and the world. The civic celebration was concluded with a
lavish brunch (one of several splendid meals provided by the city during the
three days we were in Augsburg) where wine and beer flowed freely (it was,
after all, Oktoberfest time!).
Various tours of the city were offered to the official
participants on Saturday afternoon.
It’s hard to describe the emotion of being in the building where Martin
Luther met with Cardinal Cajetan in 1518 to defend the theological principles of
his 95 theses, or to stand on the place where the Augsburg Confession was read
before the Imperial Diet in 1530, or to view the marvelous paintings depicting
the history of the Reformation as well as the death and resurrection of Christ
that adorn the [Lutheran] Church of the Holy Cross. In a city nearly leveled by allied bombing in World War II,
history still reaches out to remind you of the importance this city has played
on the world stage for hundreds of years.
Saturday concluded with solemn vespers in the Basilica of
Saints Ulrich and Afra, a splendid baroque structure which has, adjacent to its
grounds, a Lutheran parish dating from the same period. North American Lutherans felt at home as the
sounds of Evening Prayer from the Lutheran Book of Worship resounded
throughout the crowded basilica. Two
homilies, the first by General Secretary Noko and the second by Bishop Kaspar,
pointed to the significance of the occasion as the culmination of decades of
prayer and theological conversation.
Everyone in Augsburg was well aware that the signing of
the “Joint Declaration” was a beginning rather than the culmination of the
search for unity between our two churches.
But the significance of this agreement is hard to overestimate, as can
be seen by the many overtures Rome has made to the Lutheran community as the
Jubilee year 2000 is celebrated.
Everyone anticipates that a new sense of energy and urgency will unfold
in both the international and the North American dialogues as the search for
unity continues. It was a profound
privilege for me to accompany Presiding Bishop Anderson to this historic event,
as it is for me to serve as the Lutheran staff person to the North American
Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue. At
this moment in history we can only echo the words of the hymn of praise sung in
Augsburg: “You are God; we praise you.
You are the Lord; we acclaim you.
All creation worships you!”
Randall R. Lee is Executive Assistant to the Secretary
of the ELCA and Associate for Bilateral Dialogues. He is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Luke
(Belmont) in Chicago.