Lutheran and Catholic Reconciliation on Justification

by John A. Radano

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2009

Overview

After centuries of estrangement between Lutherans and Catholics, new relationships began at Vatican II and continued to develop during the following decades. In this broader context, Lutheran and Catholic Reconciliation on Justification illuminates the evolution of the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. While describing the steps leading to the Declaration as mutually understood by both partners and showing the important Lutheran initiatives indispensable for those steps, John Radano pays particular attention to the Holy See’s contributions. Part 1 illustrates initial contacts beginning with Lutheran observers at Vatican II. Before the Council’s conclusion in 1965, a Lutheran-Catholic “Joint Working Group” was formed and dialogue was engaged. In Part 2 Radano describes how mutual understanding and respect developed in the immediate postconciliar period. By 1972, Lutheran-Catholic dialogue reported a “far-reaching consensus” on justification. Part 3, corresponding to the first decade of John Paul II’s pontificate, indicates that continuing dialogues gradually deepened and confirmed the justification consensus. Indeed, John Paul’s own broad contacts with the Lutheran world helped build bonds of friendship and reconciliation. Part IV traces the steps taken by both sides in 1988–1999 to draft and officially sign the Declaration, and it describes the three-day celebration in Augsburg surrounding the signing ceremony. An afterword tracks the reception of the Declaration since the 1999 signing, including support by Benedict XVI. Most especially, Radano details the World Methodist Council’s official affirmation of the Declaration in 2006, highlighting the document’s truly ecumenical nature.

Product Details

• Title: Lutheran and Catholic Reconciliation on Justification
• Author: John A. Radano
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2009
• Logos Release Date: 2015
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Lutheran Church › Relations--Catholic Church; Catholic Church › Relations--Lutheran Church; Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
• ISBNs: 9780802848604, 0802848605
• Resource ID: LLS:LTHRNCTHJSTFCTN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:16:19Z

About John A. Radano

John A. Radano served on the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Vatican City, from 1984 to 2008 and was head of its Western Section, participating in many international bilateral and multilateral dialogues. Author of Lutheran and Catholic Reconciliation on Justification and of many articles, he is currently adjunct professor in the School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.