October 20, 2004

GENEVA - The general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Ishmael Noko today called on Lutheran churches to accompany the Anglican Communion "with prayer" following the release of a report by a special commission set up, among other issues, to study the implications of actions "considered to be in breach of the bonds of communion."

The Windsor Report 2004 was authored by the Lambeth Commission on Communion, established in October 2003, with the mandate, among other tasks, 'to examine the legal and theological implications' following the decisions in the Episcopal Church (USA) to appoint a priest in a committed same sex relationship as one of its bishops.

"The question of the unity of a Christian world communion faced with major challenges in the area of ethics is one that deserves great attention in the ecumenical world at the present time," Noko says in a statement released today.

The LWF general secretary commends the Commission for the transparent process it has adopted since it started its work, "especially its public communication on the process at its different stages." It clearly has upheld "a high level of sensitivity toward different views represented among its members and the broader constituency," he says.

He underlines Lutherans' conviction that the unity of the church is based on the holy gospel which "unites us through faith with the Triune God by proclamation of the Word and administration of the Sacraments."

The report is available in PDF format at http://windsor2004.anglicancommunion.org/windsor2004/downloads/windsor2004full.pdf.

The full text of LWF General Secretary Noko's statement on the Windsor Report 2004 follows:

Statement by Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation on The Report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion

The Windsor Report 2004 of the Lambeth Commission on Communion was expected with interest, given the nature of the issues it was established to consider. The question of the unity of a Christian world communion faced with major challenges in the area of ethics is one that deserves great attention in the ecumenical world at the present time. The interrelationship between ethics, ecclesiology and church discipline requires the most careful reflection and deliberation.

The Commission deserves recognition for the transparent process it has adopted since its establishment, especially its public communication on the process at its different stages. It clearly has upheld a high level of sensitivity toward different views represented among its members and the broader constituency, as well as a strong commitment to the unity of the Anglican Communion and its witness to the gospel.

In the search for Christian unity, the internal unity of the different Christian world communions and church families must be seen as a genuine contribution to the unity of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. It is the conviction of Lutherans that the unity of the church is based on the holy gospel, which reveals and unites us through faith with the Triune God by proclamation of the Word and administration of the Sacraments. This is constitutive for each local and regional church, for the global communions and for the universal church.

The Windsor Report clearly takes its point of departure in such an understanding when it states in paragraph 45: "All those called by the gospel of Jesus Christ and set apart by God's gift of baptism are incorporated into the communion of the Body of Christ. This communion is primarily a relationship with God, who is himself a communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and it binds every member of Christ into the whole body."

The Report makes it clear that at the present time the spiritual integrity of the Anglican Communion remains a reality, despite recent actions taken within the communion considered to be in breach of the bonds of communion. The Commission seeks resolution of the current challenges on the basis of the values of the gospel. This has led the Commission to a clear call for reconciliation rather than punishment.

The Commission chose from the outset not to reopen the question of homosexuality itself, but to base its work on the majority-based decision of the 1998 Lambeth Conference on the subject. The question may be asked whether this will be sufficient in the longer term. But at present the Lambeth Commission has achieved an important purpose, which is - amid the turmoil - to focus on, and draw guidance from that which is always constitutive for the church and the spiritual fellowship of its members: God's grace given to us as a gift in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I call on the Lutheran churches around the world to accompany the Anglican Communion and its instruments of unity, in particular the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates' Meeting, with prayer that God may guide them in Spirit and in truth as they exercise their responsibilities in this matter.

Geneva, 20 October 2004

Lutheran World Information