Lutheran–Roman Catholic Dialogue are a series of discussions which began during July 1964 as an outgrowth of the Second Vatican Council. These gatherings reflect the new openness of the Roman Catholic Church to dialogue with other Christian denominations as well as other religions. These dialogues have been primarily between by church representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and representatives of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Contents
The Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue within the United States have been conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the USA National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation. The Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue brought the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) together to dialogue with the American Roman Catholic community. The LCMS has not participated in all discussions. Unlike the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the LCMS has not come to an agreement with the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in the understanding of various issues including faith, grace and sin.
Rounds of Discussion
Between July 1964 and 2010 over 50 sessions have been held taking up eleven rounds of topics as of 2015:
Subsequent events
Significant events following these dialogues included a joint statement on the doctrine of Justification by Faith issued in 1983 and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification issued on October 31, 1999. In 2010, the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue completed a common statement entitled The Hope of Eternal Life. In 2015, Lutherans and Roman Catholics jointly issued the Declaration on the Way: Church, Ministry and Eucharist, a ecumenical document marking greater visible unity between Catholics and Lutherans.
The Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity will host a joint Ecumenical Commemoration event in Lund, Sweden scheduled for October 31, 2016. This will be a shared Lutheran-Roman Catholic commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the posting by Martin Luther of The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517.