INVITATION
On the occasion of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we invite you to attend the joint conference of the Roman Catholic Church and the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church “From Conflict to Communion”.
The conference will take place on Wednesday, September 27th, 2017, in Tallinn, in the Small Conference Hall of the National Library of Estonia (Tõnismägi 2) from 09:30 – 18:00 and conclude with a common prayer in Charles’ Church (Kaarli kirik) from 18:15-19:00. In addition to presentations and discussions, the programme of the conference also includes the presentation of the Estonian translation of the book “From Conflict to Communion”.
The conference is inspired by the document “From Conflict to Communion” (2013), which was composed by the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity as commissioned by the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In this document, representatives of the two denominations take a look and assess jointly the history of the Reformation and its influences, the theology of Martin Luther, likewise the official ecumenical dialogue begun a half-century ago, and call to proceed on the road towards the complete, visible unity of the church.
In the context of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, joint discussions at the Tallinn conference will look at the Reformation as an important event for both churches: Where and why it got its beginnings, what does it mean for us today and in the future, what opportunities do we see for moving closer towards one another. From the Catholic perspective, professor Philip Goyret from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome will tie the document with a presentation on the 95 Theses of Martin Luther. From the Lutheran perspective, a presentation will be made by professor Thomas-Andreas Põder from the EELC Institute of Theology and the Faculty of Theology of Tartu University.
As similar processes of reconciliation and movements “from conflict to communion” are taking place within and between other churches, we will hear co-presentations on how the document “From Conflict to Communion” is seen and assessed from the perspective of the Orthodox Church as well as from the perspective of Free Churches, taking into consideration their ecumenical understandings and processes of reconciliation in which they themselves participate.
The document „From Conflict to Communion“ is available in English as well as in many other languages: https://www.lutheranworld.org/content/resource-conflict-communion-basis-lutheran-catholic-commemoration-reformation-2017
The working languages of the conference are Estonian and English. Guaranteed is simultaneous translation.
Invited to attend the conference are clergy from various churches, lecturers and teachers, theology students, church workers, members of congregations, all who are interested in the subject. Likewise warmly welcome are members of churches as well as non-members.
Please register for the conference by using the registration form by September 18th at the latest.
With blessings,
+ Urmas Viilma + Philippe Jourdan
Archbishop of the Estonian Titular Bishop of Pertusa
Evangelical Lutheran Church Apostolic Administrator of Estonia
