At the conclusion of the ecumenical celebration in Lund, Sweden, Pope Francis and the general-secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) agreed to work together for a shared Eucharist. They pledged during a joint statement to remove the obstacles to full unity between their Churches, leading eventually to a shared Eucharist.
After they finished signing, the congregation stood for a long round of applause as the two leaders hugged each other. Luther would be horrified!
“We long for this wound in the Body of Christ to be healed,” they said. “This is the goal of our ecumenical endeavors, which we wish to advance, also by renewing our commitment to theological dialogue.”
“Lutherans and Catholics have wounded the visible unity of the Church,” they said in their joint statement. “Theological differences were accompanied by prejudice and conflicts, and religion was instrumentalized for political ends,” they continued. “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.”
The goal of ecumenism is to bring the churches together in full visible and sacramental union in the Roman Catholic Mass.
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him…” Revelation 13:8.