European Lutherans express solidarity with the church in Italy – “Welcoming the stranger”Rome/Geneva, 31.10.2014. (report from the LWF regional church conference) The leaders of the European member churches of the Lutheran World Federation expressed their solidarity with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy (ELCI) in its commitment to work with immigrants and refugees, and to be active in ecumenical engagement in the country. At the annual LWF European regional conference, hosted by the ELCI from 27 to 29 October, the 55 participants from 30 member churches in 21 countries expressed high appreciation for the ELCI’s witness, which “reminds us of the need to build a bridge across the gap between ecumenical dialogue and the practical work of diakonia”. The LWF church leaders affirmed the Italian Lutheran church’s partnership with other Protestant churches in diakonia projects that offer employment and integration opportunities to people who are fleeing mainly from crisis regions in the Middle East and Africa. “It is inspiring to see the commitment in advocacy and in diakonia work with immigrants and refugees, and strong ecumenical efforts to help the wounded neighbour.” The leaders of the European member churches also recognized that the ELCI’s work implements the statement “Welcoming the stranger”, which was adopted by faith-based organizations and the United Nations refugee agency, and which the LWF endorsed in 2013. “In order to welcome such people stricken by misfortune, a culture of welcome must be established. We want to help them regardless of their religion, confession, gender, or origin,” they emphasized. The members of the LWF Council, the LWF National Committees, and ecumenical representatives called on the European Union to revisit the Dublin III regulation in order to offer the possibility of a much more balanced and just distribution of responsibility on the question of refugees and migrants among European countries. “In these days, when more and more refugees are arriving on our continent, we want to be open to them, we want to welcome them, and we want to support them in every way,” the Lutheran church leaders said. “Listen, serve, empower – being church in a changing Europe” was the motto of this year’s meeting, bringing together the LWF European Central Eastern, Central Western, and Nordic regions. In both the keynote presentations and the discussions, the participants together considered new models for what the church should be in the 21st century. ELCI dean Heiner A. Bludau noted that the main concern for Lutherans and other Protestant churches in predominantly Catholic Italy today is “to speak about concrete Protestant topics”. He said that this includes the important question of the relationship between state and church, which involves, for example, the tax contribution to the church. Thinking about the celebration of 500 years of the Reformation in 2017, Bludau said that their intention is to celebrate together in an ecumenical context. “It is important for us to convey to society that this is not just a historical event, but also an opportunity for Protestants and Catholics together to find the meaning of the Reformation for us today, and a new impulse for the churches to offer to the communities we serve.”
The report was prepared based on information provided by the LWF http://www.lutheranworld.org
Photo: Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus
Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus
In the photograph – the leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy, Heiner A. Bludau.
Translated from English by LELBāL pastor Ieva Puriņa
Proofreader Mag. Theol. Milda Klampe