Rediscovering who we are in Christ

Historic Joint Commemoration of the Reformation in Lund Cathedral

LUND, Sweden/GENEVA, 31 October 2016 (LWI) – Pope Francis and the General Secretary of The Lutheran World Federation Rev. Dr Martin Junge jointly preached on the gospel of the true vine (John 15:1-5) during the Common Prayer of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation in Lund, Sweden, today. They spoke about the unity in Christ that Lutherans and Catholics have together and the opportunities for joint witness in a world that needs the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ in words and actions.

“Now in the context of the commemoration of the Reformation of 1517, we have a new opportunity to accept a common path, one that has taken shape over the past fifty years in the ecumenical dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church,” Pope Francis stated in his sermon, adding: “We have the opportunity to mend a critical moment of our history by moving beyond the controversies and disagreements that have often prevented us from understanding one another.”

"As we see Jesus among us, we have also started to see each other anew. We acknowledge that there is much more that unites us than that which separates us. We are branches of the same vine. We are one in Baptism. This is why we are here at this joint commemoration: to rediscover who we are in Christ," said General Secretary Junge in his sermon, calling upon Catholics and Lutherans “to move away from a past overshadowed by conflict and division and to walk the paths of communion.”

Read more about the Joint Commemoration here.

Original article by The Lutheran World Federation, 31 October, 2016.