CLARIFICATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 22, 1999 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity today issued a communique stating that, "due to various erroneous interpretations by the communications media following the publication of a Joint Declaration of the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on the Doctrine of Justification together with an Official Common Statement and an Annex it seemed appropriate to underline the correct meaning of the above-mentioned texts."

"'The ecumenical dialogue carried out since Vatican Council II has led to a significant convergence regarding the doctrine of justification. This (convergence) allows an agreement on fundamental truths regarding the doctrine of justification to be formulated in this Joint Declaration.'

"Consequently 'the teaching of the Lutheran Churches, as presented in this Declaration, does not fall under the condemnations of the Council of Trent'. 'However, this does not remove anything from the seriousness of the doctrinal condemnations associated with the doctrine of justification. Some of these (condemnations) did not simply lack foundation. For us they still hold 'the significance of salutary warnings' to which we must pay heed, both in doctrine and in practice'."

"'This Joint Declaration, just as the dialogues themselves, is based on the conviction that overcoming condemnations and controversial questions is not equivalent to taking separation and condemnations lightly, nor does it mean renouncing the past of each of our Churches. Nonetheless, it (the Declaration) is convinced that new methods of evaluation are emerging in the history of our Churches and developments are taking place which not only permit but demand that the divisive questions and the condemnations be checked and examined from a new perspective.'

"'Together we confess that the sinner is justified through faith in the salvific action of God in Christ. This salvation is given to him by the Holy Spirit in baptism which is the foundation of his whole Christian life.'"

"'Immediately when the Holy Spirit starts in us His work of regeneration and renewal, by means of the Word and the holy Sacraments, it is certain that we can and must collaborate by means of the power of the Holy Spirit.'"

"'If, therefore, we say that we are without sin, we are not in the right. ... In this way, Lutherans and Catholics can together comprehend the Christian as 'simul justus et peccator', despite the different ways they have of approaching the question.'

"As regards the question of 'concupiscence,' understood by the Lutherans as the desire of the human being who seeks himself and which, consequently, they consider a sin; for Catholics this is an inclination that arises from sin and induces to sin but is not itself sin because 'sin is personal in nature and, as such, leads to a separation from God'.

"Consequently, there has been no denial of the past, but rather a common step forward in understanding the mystery of Christ's salvation."

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