German Lutheran Bishops Criticize Catholics’ Stance on Pentecost Monday Celebrations
Bavarian Bishop Johannes Friedrich Regrets Missed Chance to Send an Ecumenical Signal
BUECKEBURG, Germany/GENEVA, 12 March 2004 (LWI) – The Bishops’ Conference of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) has expressed great disappointment at the response of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference to a VELKD request to celebrate Whit Monday [Monday after Pentecost] as a festival of Christian unity.
Following its March 6-9 meeting in Bueckeburg, the VELKD Bishops’ Conference pointed out that the proposal to hold joint services to celebrate church unity originally came from the Central Committee of German Catholics. It was mainly intended to send a signal to the many people living in inter-confessional marriages and families.
"I sincerely regret the fact that the German Catholic bishops have missed another chance to send an ecumenical signal," said Bavarian Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich, also responsible for VELKD’s relations with the Roman Catholic Church. In this capacity, he had forwarded the proposal to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Friedrich criticized the reasons given for the rejection: "I cannot see how a joint service on Pentecost Monday, as already celebrated by many Protestant and Catholic congregations, could endanger the celebration of the Eucharist. I have always stressed that a festival of Christian unity is intended to supplement, not replace the Eucharist."
The proposal had clearly acknowledged that a decision about Pentecost Monday should not call into question the eucharistic celebration on that day. The VELKD Bishops’ Conference said the negative decision by the Roman Catholic bishops missed the point, as they had rejected a proposal that had not been made. Pentecost Sunday also referred to as Whit Sunday, marks the 50th day after Easter, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Lutheran bishops deplored the decision by the Catholic bishops, particularly because of what it could mean to people in inter-confessional marriages and families. But they encouraged congregations and parishes where ecumenical worship services were already conducted on Pentecost Monday to maintain the tradition. The recent decision of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference still allowed for this possibility. The VELKD bishops encouraged congregations that had not yet followed this tradition to hold ecumenical services on the Monday after Pentecost as an expression of Protestant and Catholic "being together."
The VELKD is an association of eight German regional churches – the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Bavaria, Brunswick, Hanover and Thuringia, of Mecklenburg, Saxony, Schaumburg-Lippe and the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. It represents approximately 10.4 million people, and is headed by Presiding Dr Hans Christian Knuth of Schleswig.
Germany’s 82 million people include an equal number of Protestants and Roman Catholics, estimated at two-thirds of the population. (449 words)
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