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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 03.11.2005 |
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| Bavarian Bishop Friedrich to Lead United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany |
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Valuable Contribution to Dialogue and Peace Building
KLINK, Germany/GENEVA, 3 November 2005 (LWI) – Bavarian Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich is the new presiding bishop of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD).
The 57-year-old theologian was elected by the VELKD General Synod at its October 17 meeting in Klink bei Waren an der Müritz, Germany. He succeeds Schleswig Bishop Dr Hans Christian Knuth, 65, who served two three-year terms. Friedrich’s position as head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria remains unchanged.
In a congratulatory letter, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko notes that in his new capacity, Friedrich will also chair the LWF National Committee in Germany becoming involved in international ecumenical challenges.
Noko says he is convinced the new presiding bishop will bring his valuable and acknowledged engagement in dialogue and peace building to the position, especially from his experience with the German Lutheran congregation in Jerusalem. “As churches, we need leaders who can address issues of conflict and violence from a perspective of individual experience and commitment,” the general secretary says.
As VELKD Officer for Catholic Affairs since 2000, Friedrich has committed himself to enhancing ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic Church in his home diocese and at the broader ecumenical level in Germany. “In this function, you are a valued person, dedicated from the heart to building and sustaining ecumenical friendships,” Noko writes.
Born in 1948, Friedrich studied Protestant theology at Erlangen and Tübingen, Germany. Among other positions, he was parish pastor and student chaplain in Nuremberg, Germany, then leading pastor of the German-speaking Protestant congregation in Jerusalem from 1985 until 1991, after which he became city dean in Nuremberg. He was elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria in 1999, and is a member of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). He is the second Bavarian bishop to lead VELKD since its establishment in 1948. Bishop Hans Meier was presiding bishop, 1949-1955.
Openness to Ecumenism
After his recent election, the new presiding bishop stressed that Lutheranism played an “important role” for Protestantism in Germany. “We want to show that the Evangelical Church in Germany will be strengthened if we as VELKD bring in elements that Lutheran churches particularly value.” These include the Lutheran confessional orientation and traditional issues such as the doctrine of justification and Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms. The latter should play a “greater role” than is usually the case in Germany, especially in relation to current political, social and ethical questions.
As presiding bishop, Friedrich said he would feel fulfilled for the most part if VELKD demonstrated itself to be a “meaningful and necessary association of Lutheran member churches that makes its contribution to bringing the gospel of God’s love to people in our country so that it is heard and bears fruit.” He said he was convinced that the “Evangelical Lutheran profile raises the profile of the Protestant churches in Germany,” adding that the profile reflected not separation and exclusion, but rather openness to ecumenism both within the evangelical membership and in the interdenominational context.
VELKD is an association of eight Lutheran regional churches in Bavaria, Brunswick, Hanover, Mecklenburg, North Elbia, Saxony, Schaumburg-Lippe and Thuringia, representing 10 million Lutherans. The EKD brings together 24 Lutheran, Reformed and United regional churches in Germany. (567 words)
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