Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification: Reflections after 25 Years

The year 2024 marks 25 years since the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), along with an Official Common Statement and an attached Annex, on 31 October 1999. In reflecting upon the JDDJ, this article attempts to eval...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Ecumenical review 2024-07, Vol.76 (3), p.215-228
Main Author: O'Brien, Christopher M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anniversaries
Catholic churches
Ecumenism
Treaties
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The year 2024 marks 25 years since the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), along with an Official Common Statement and an attached Annex, on 31 October 1999. In reflecting upon the JDDJ, this article attempts to evaluate the impact of the declaration by addressing the following questions: What did the JDDJ accomplish, and what did it fail to achieve? What progress has been made since 1999 to build on the work of the JDDJ? What work still needs to be done moving forward in Catholic–Lutheran dialogue? The article concludes that the JDDJ has had a ground‐breaking impact in ecumenical dialogue – both in and beyond the Catholic–Lutheran context – that continues to unfold today. While there is a long way to go in the ecumenical venture, the JDDJ represents a pivotal moment and a sign of hope for visible Christian unity, which is the goal of ecumenism.
ISSN:0013-0796
1758-6623
DOI:10.1111/erev.12854