Why Augsburg?

A vision to bring healing to the historical wounds of christian disunity

WHY AUGSBURG?

The breakup of Western Christianity happened in Augsburg on June 25th 1530.

The failure to agree on the text of the Augsburg Confession at the Diet of Augsburg led to a schism in Western Christianity. It also led to the break-up of Europe and a series of Protestant- Catholic wars across Europe. The results of these events are still with us in the 21st Century.

Plaque in Augsburg commemorating the Augsburg Confession in 1530 photo 'Luther and his world'.

healing the wounds of history: robert kolb and cormac o'duffy

Robert Kolb, distinguished Professor and Research Fellow at Christ School of Theology at the Institute of Lutheran Theology and world reknowned authority on Martin Luther and the Reformation, in conversation with Dr Cormac O'Duffy, Director of the Augsburg2030 initiative, discuss the possibility of agreement between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church on the articles of the Augsburg Confession in advance of its 500th anniversary in 2030. They encourage prayer for the discussions between the Pontifical Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity, the Lutheran World Federation and the International Lutheran Council leading up to this historic anniversary.

THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION 1530

What was this confession and who wrote it?

why should anyone, catholic or lutheran, be interested in it today?

Images of Phillip Melanchthon and Martin Luther Wikipedia

It was written by Reformed Theologian Phillip Melanchthon
It was composed to usher in reformin the Catholic Church of the day and to heal divisions in the Church.
It had the support of Reformer Martin Luther
It is currently the Statement of Faith and belief for 80 million Lutherans worldwide
It was not accepted by the Catholic Church at the time, resulting in a schism in the Church.

the 28 articles of the augsburg confession

First page of the Augsburg Confession in the Book of Concord of 1580

Chief Articles of Faith
Art. I. Of God
Art. II. Of Original Sin
Art. III. Of the Son of God
Art. IV. Of Justification
Art. V. Of the Ministry
Art. VI. Of New Obedience
Art. VII. Of the Church
Art. VIII. What the Church Is
Art. IX. Of Baptism
Art. X. Of the Lord’s Supper
Art. XI. Of Confession
Art. XII. Of Repentance
Art. XIII. Of the Use of the Sacraments
Art. XIV. Of Ecclesiastical Order
Art. XV. Of Ecclesiastical Usages
Art. XVI. Of Civil Affairs
Art. XVII. Of Christ’s Return to Judgment
Art. XVIII. Of Free Will
Art. XIX. Of the Cause of Sin
Art. XX. Of Good Works
Art. XXI. Of the Worship of the Saints

Articles in Which Are Reviewed the Abuses Which Have Been Corrected
Art. XXII. Of Both Kinds in the Sacrament
Art. XXIII. Of the Marriage of Priests
Art. XXIV. Of the Mass
Art. XXV. Of Confession
Art. XXVI. Of the Distinction of Meats
Art. XXVII. Of Monastic Vows
Art. XXVIII. Of Ecclesiastical Power
Conclusion

The augsburg Confession was not intended to be 'church-dividing'.

melanchthon writes in article xx1 of the confession...

Phillip Melanchthon 91497-1560) Source : Musee Virtuel de Protestantisme.

'This is about the sum if our Doctrine, in which, as can be seen, there is nothing that varies from the Scriptures, or from the Church Catholic, or from the Church of Rome as known from its writers. This being the case, they judge harshly who insist that our teachers be regarded as heretics. '

Augsburg Confession Article XXI

Luther's conclusion at the failure of the augsburg diet

'I fear that we will never again
get as close together as we did
at Augsburg...'

Eric W. Gritsch, A History of Lutheranism (Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2010), 57.[13]

early attempts to heal the divide:
fr. jean dez S.J. French jesuit 1n 1688

French edition of Fr Jean Dez's Book on the Reunion of Protestants with the Catholic Church 1688 Photo courtesy of Professor Robert Kolb http://mdz-nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb11118282-6 [Volltext] [// 2013 digitalisiert von: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, München

Fr Jean Dez S.J. published a book in French and German in 1688 from Strasbourg of 600 pages entitled 'The Reunion of the Protestants of Strasbourg with the Catholic Church'. In it he examined all the Articles that Melanchthon had written in the Confession. He concluded :
' the Reunion of the Protestants of Strasbourg with the Catholic Church is 'necessary for their salvation and easy according to their teaching. ' His writing did not however succeed in healing the divide.

wolfhart pannenberg (1928-2014) lutheran theologian

'The bloody wars of religion during the following centuries and all the other unholy consequences of confessional division can only reinforce such an evaluation of Melanchthon's desire or reconciliation - assuming, that it there was no ultimate contradiction in faith. '

Wolfhart Pannenberg 1928-2014 Commonplace Holiness Blog https://craigladams.com/blog/r-i-p-wolfhart-pannenberg-1928-2014/

the aftermath: protestants and catholics at war

The City of Magdeburg where over 20,000 Protestant Christians were killed on 20 May 1631

,The Thirty Years War began when the newly elected Holy Roman Emperor Fredinand II tried to impose religious uniformity on his domains. While not only a religious war, he forced Roman Catholicism on its citizens. The Protestant states banded together in revolt against him.
Between 4.5-8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battles, while, in parts of present day Germany, the population declined by as much as 50%. The destruction of Magdeburg -one of the worst battles of the 30 years war - resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 Lutherans by the forces of the Imperial Army and the Catholic League. Magdeburg was finally razed by fire. Soldiers who had not been paid demanded valuables from every house. There were reports of torture and beatings. When the general Tilly ordered an end of the looting, on the next day 24 May Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral.

Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644)

A census conducted in 1632 counted only 449 remaining habitants and the city remained a ruin until about 1720. Field Marshall Graf Pappenheim serving with the Catholic League wrote " I believe that over twenty thousand souls were lost. It is certain that no more terrible work and divine punishment has been seen since the destruction of Jerusalem."

After the Massacre on June 18 1631, Pope Urban VIII wrote a letter of congratulations to the Commanding Officer Tilly of the Emperors Forces: "Potuisti lavare victrices manus in sanguine peccatorum." "You have washed your victorious hands in the blood of sinners."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Magdeburg

THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION SPREADS....

Religious Map of Europe 1560 Princeton University Donald Kagan et al. The Western Heritage Since 1300. (p. 374) Prentice Hall [Pearson]

Accepted by Duke Albrecht of Prussia 1530

Accepted by Smalcald League, Saxony, Hesse, Braunschweig, Luneburg Anhalt Koethen and Strassbourg 1532

King Christian of Denmark brings it
to Denmark 1536-58
followed by...
Norway Lutheran 1539
Iceland Lutheran 1550
Sweden Lutheran 1593
Finland Lutheran 1593
England Adapted CA for the 39 Articles of the Anglican Communion 1571
Further New Confessions:
Westminster Confession 1646
Modified Congregational 1658
Particular Baptists Confession 1677/89

wars of religion germany and france

Thirty Years War in Europe https://historylearning.com/the-thirty-years-war0/thirty-years-war0/

The Schmalkaldic War (1546-47)
The Eighty Years War ( 1568-1648)
The French Wars of Religion ( !562-1598)
The Thirty Years War ( 1618-1648)

MODERN VOICES SEEKING RECOGNITION OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION

HARRY MC SORLEY 1931-2017
professor of theology st micheael's college toronto

Harry Mc Sorley quotes Johannes Eck - a man to opposed Luther and who 'rejected every compromise at the expense of truth'. After the Confutation of the Augsburg Confession Eck wrote to the Archbishop of Mainz saying ' if we could have discussions with them (the Reformers) ' I believe concord would immediately take place on all the other 22 articles ( of the Confession). Surely - says Mc Sorley - Catholics and Lutherans should hope for nothing less when they gather for prayer and dialogue in Augsburg [on the 450th anniversary of the Confession in 1980] and elsewhere.

CARDINAL WALTER KASPER Emeritus president of
the pontifical council for christian unity 2001-2010

Cardinal Kasper sees the recognition of the Augsburg Confession (CA) as more than a theological reception but an official act; it would not mean that the Catholic Church takes the CA as its own Roman Catholic expression; instead it would be allowed as one legitimate expression of the common Catholic faith so that the ecclesial community that appeals to it would be given room within the unity of the Catholic Church. ' Nothing more', he says, but nothing less than this was intended by its presentation to the Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg.

george lindbeck (1928-2014) famous lutheran theologian

' If Lutherans and Catholics are to progress on the road to unity, some kind of shared recognition of the essential catholicity of the positions taken by the CA will have to develop. Those who are concerned for the unity witness of all Christians to the Lord Jesus Christ will hope and pray that this development will take place sooner than later. .

CARDINAL AVERY DULLES (1918-2009)

Thus the time may not be far away when it will be possible for Catholics and Lutherans, without loss of thier distinctive identities and without reaching full agreement on all doctrines , to recognize each other as belonging to the same ecclesial fellowship... But if such recognition and ecclesial fellowship ever comes about, there is no doubt that the CA, thanks to its simultaneously Catholic and Lutheran character, will have prepared the way.

HEALING THE PAST

the secretariate for christian unity 1960: Director Cardinal bea

Cardinal Augustin Bea First Director of the Pontifical Secretariate for Christian Uniy 1960

Since the time of the Second Vatican Council, Popes and Religious leaders have been seeking to heal the woulds of division in Christianity A Special Secretariate was established in the Vatican which became a Discastery in 2022 called the Discastery for Promoting Christian Unity. In establishing the Secretariate Pope John XXIII in 1960 said' 'We have also in mind a special secretariate which will make it possible for separated brethern to follow the work of the Council, and thus to make it easier their reunion in the one fold of Christ. This will demonstrate 'the love of the Holy Father and his good will towards those who are called Christians, but who are separated from this Apostolic See'.

The evangelical response: hans assmussen President of evangelical church 1945-1948 and leader of die sammlung

The great possibility that Rome and Wittenberg may meet peacefully on the occasion of the Council must not be destroyed by unlawful compromise.

Hans Asmussen.

CARDINAL BEA: SEPARATION 'NOT OF THEIR CHOOSING'.

Cardinal Bea in Dialogue in Geneva with W.A. Visser 't Hooft General Secretary from 1948-1966 of the World Council of Churches

"

''Even in their separation they [Reformed Churches] have kept in varying degrees, much of the rich inheritance of truth and devotion which derives from the Mother Church, and indeed , in many cases they were originally cut off from this Church, not of their own choosing, but on account of the absolute power of a prince of the bad example of a worldly prelate. Those among them who hold faithfully to the doctrines inherited from their Catholic ancestors and try to live according to them, easily come to recognize that they do not possess the whole truth and that they lack many aids whch our Lord has promised to his faithful."

the church and the faults of the past Pope paul VI

Pope Paul VI

Church Jubilees which had been introduced by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 were occasions for sacramental pardon for sin and were regular occasions for a joyful celebration for the salvation given in Christ. However, in none of the Jubilees from the 14th century to the 20th century prior to Vatican II was there any acknowledgement for any of the church’s sins or a request to God for pardon for past misconduct.
Time had to wait for Pope Paul VI in the 20th century to express such regret for past behavior both to God and to the Assembled members of the Vatican Council and representatives of other ‘separated’ churches. He solemnly asked "pardon of God...and of the separated brethren" of the East who may have felt offended "by us" (the Catholic Church) and declared himself ready for his part to pardon offences received.

pope saint john xxiii

First Encyclical of John XXIII Ad Petri Cathedram

Pope Saint John XXIII

Allow us to express our affection to you and to call you the legacy our sons and brothers...We address you, then, as brothers even though you are separated from us. For as St Augustine said:
Whether they like it or not, they are our brothers. They will only cease to be our brothers when they cease to say: 'Our Father'.

the apology of pope saint john paul ii

Pope John Paul II apologizes at the Vatican for the sins of the Church in March 2000. Source Inside the Vatican January 2001

In a purple robe, the color of the Lenten period of penitence that began Wednesday, John Paul asked for the comprehensive pardon in an extraordinary ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica.

"We ask for forgiveness for the divisions that came between Christians, for the use of violence that some used in the service of truth, and for the attitudes of diffidence and hostility assumed before the followers of other religions," he said in his homily. He also called for forgiveness of those who had harmed or persecuted Christians.

BREAKTHROUGH! 1999-2030

THE JOINT DECLARATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

Rev. Martin Junge, General Secretary LWF embraces Bishop Munib Younan President of LWF with Pope Francis with Archbishop Jacklen of Lutheran Church of Sweden and Bishop Arborelius of Stockhold with Cardinal Kurt Koch President of the PCPCU in an ecumenical prayer service in Lund in Sweden ( CNS photo Paul Haring) permission for use sought.

"It is for me a pleasure and source of much satisfaction to present today a document declaring that a consensus on fundamental truths regarding the doctrine of justification has been reached in the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation. The present joint declaration has this intention: namely, to show that, on the basis of their dialogue, the subscribing Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church are now able to articulate a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ.
Cardinal Edward Cassidy : Augsburg July 16th 1998

meeting of the lutheran world federation and the discastery for christian unity in krakow poland september 2023 calling for a joint study of the confessio augustana - The AUGSBURG CONFESSION

Cardinal Koch of the PCCU and Rev Anne Burghardt of the Lutheran World Federation reading the Common Statement at their meeting in Poland in September 2023 Creator: Lutheran World Federation | Credit: LWF, Albin Hillert Copyright.

The delegates at the meeting of the Dicastery for Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation quoted the words of Pope Francis when he met the leaders of the LWF in 2021 that such a joint study of the Augsburg Confession in advance of the 500th anniversary of the Confession in 2030 could help Catholics and Lutherans "to confess together what joins us in faith. It will be important to examine with spiritual and theological humility the circumstances that led to the divisions, trusting that, although it is impossible to undo the sad events of the past, it is possible to reinterpret them as part of a reconciled history’.

onward to augsburg 2030...
the 500th anniversary of the augsburg confession

Photo by hoch3media on Unsplash

Come Lord Jesus! Come with your Holy Spirit and heal the wounds of our division! In Jesus name we pray Amen!

Photo of Augsburg by night https://www.getyourguide.com/augsburg-l146/night-tours-tc10/

Augsburg Day!

AUGSBURG 2030500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION