CHICAGO (ELCA) – Building on a path toward greater unity, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Catholic Church will participate in a joint ecumenical commemoration of the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation on Oct. 31, 2016, in Lund, Sweden.
“Just as we are concluding the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we hear this hope-giving announcement about the October inauguration of the Reformation’s 500^th anniversary,” said the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA. “This remarkable, visible witness emphasizes the steps we have taken on the way to the unity for which Christ prayed. And it strengthens our hope for continuing reconciliation. Thanks be to God.”
In a Jan. 25 joint press release, the LWF and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity announced that Pope Francis; the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and LWF president; and the Rev. Martin Junge, LWF general secretary, will lead the ecumenical event in cooperation with the Church of Sweden and the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm.

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