Italy: Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants issue joint statement on Reformation
December 23, 2017
The Italian bishops’ conference, joined by Orthodox dioceses and several Protestant communities in Italy, recently issued a joint statement for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Entitled “Ecclesia semper reformanda est” (“The Church must always be reformed”), the statement was dated November 22 and published on the Italian bishops’ website on December 18.
The statement began by noting the persecution in the Middle East. The signatories then touched on five themes:
- “Every church is called, in every epoch, to be conformed to the Word of God … Are we aware that God calls us to conversion every day?”
- God’s fidelity and man’s freedom: “The absolute love of God that is revealed in the Crucified Lord [is] the only way to a world of peace, justice, freedom and solidarity … How do we live this condition of freedom in Christ and of mutual service?
- ”“The Gospel testimony and the social commitment of the churches today must confront the multicultural and interreligious reality without fear and without preconceptions, because we are called to respond by faith to the questions of the men and women of today who seek hope and salvation.”
- “How can we interact with culture while remaining a critical and prophetic voice?”
- “What do we intend when we preach the crucified and risen Christ? Is Jesus still scandal and folly?”
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