11/3/2016 2:05:00 PM

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined Lutheran and Catholic leaders for a joint ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation on Oct. 31 in Lund, Sweden.

Pope Francis; Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) president; and Martin Junge, LWF general secretary, led the historic service at the Lund Cathedral. About 500 worshipers attended the Common Prayer service.

“With joy we have come to recognize that what unites us is far greater than what divides us,” said Younan, in his opening welcome.

According to a LWF press release, Pope Francis told worshipers that “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 50 years in the ecumenical dialogue between The Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church.”

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