Lutheran-Catholic Commemoration of Reformation
A Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation took place at Lund Cathedral in Sweden on 31st of Oct. 2016. The theme of the common prayer was taken from John 15: “From Conflict to Communion”. Both Pope Francis and Bishop Younan (president of The Lutheran World Federation) signed a joint declaration aiming at deepening cooperation and solidarity between the two churches.
Rev. Habib Badr attended the celebration as the president of the Evangelical Family in the Middle East Council of Churches to witness this ecumenical moment in history between the Protestant and the Catholic churches.
While the past cannot be changed, what is remembered and how it is remembered can be transformed. So, the document stated: “We pray for the healing of our wounds and of the memories that cloud our view of one another. We emphatically reject all hatred and violence, past and present, especially that expressed in the name of religion. Today, we hear God’s command to set aside all conflict. We recognize that we are freed by grace to move towards the communion to which God continually calls us.”
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me” (John 15:4).
Read the JOINT STATEMENT HERE
To see the YouTube of the whole service CLICK HERE
