| A |
Joint Declaration |
| 58 |
We recommend that our churches jointly
make the following Declaration: |
| |
THE PORVOO DECLARATION |
| |
We, the Church of Denmark, the Church of
England, the Estonian Evangelical-Lutheran Church, the Evangelical-Lutheran
Church of Finland, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Iceland, the
Church of Ireland, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Latvia, the
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Lithuania, the Church of Norway, the
Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church of Sweden and the Church in
Wales, on the basis of our common understanding of the nature and
purpose of the Church, fundamental agreement in faith and our agreement
on episcopacy in the service of the apostolicity of the Church, contained
in Chapters II-IV of The Porvoo Common Statement,
make the following acknowledgements and commitments: |
| |
a |
i |
we acknowledge one another's churches as churches belonging to the
One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ and truly
participating in the apostolic mission of the whole people of God; |
| |
|
ii |
we acknowledge that in all our churches the Word of God is authentically
preached, and the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist are duly
administered; |
| |
|
iii |
we acknowledge that all our churches share in the common confession
of the apostolic faith; |
| |
|
iv |
we acknowledge that one another's ordained ministries are given
by God as instruments of his grace and as possessing not only the
inward call of the Spirit, but also Christ's commission through his
Body, the Church; |
| |
|
v |
we acknowledge that personal, collegial and communal oversight (episcope)
is embodied and exercised in all our churches in a variety of forms,
in continuity of apostolic life, mission and ministry; |
| |
|
vi |
we acknowledge that the episcopal office is valued and maintained
in all our churches as a visible sign expressing and serving the Church's
unity and continuity in apostolic life, mission and ministry. |
| |
b |
We commit ourselves: |
| |
|
i |
to share a common life in mission and service, to pray for and with
one another, and to share resources; |
| |
|
ii |
to welcome one another's members to receive sacramental and other
pastoral ministrations; |
| |
|
iii |
to regard baptized members of all our churches as members of our
own; |
| |
|
iv |
to welcome diaspora congregations into the life of the indigenous
churches, to their mutual enrichment; |
| |
|
v |
to welcome persons episcopally ordained in any of our churches to
the office of bishop, priest or deacon to serve, by invitation and
in accordance with any regulations which may from time to time be
in force, in that ministry in the receiving church without re-ordination; |
| |
|
vi |
to invite one another's bishops normally to participate in the laying
on of hands at the ordination of bishops as a sign of the unity and
continuity of the Church; |
| |
|
vii |
to work towards a common understanding of diaconal ministry; |
| |
|
viii |
to establish appropriate forms of collegial and conciliar consultation
on significant matters of faith and order, life and work; |
| |
|
ix |
to encourage consultations of representatives of our churches, and
to facilitate learning and exchange of ideas and information in theological
and pastoral matters; |
| |
|
x |
to establish a contact group to nurture our growth in communion
and to co-ordinate the implementation of this agreement. |
| B |
Liturgical Celebration |
| 59 |
We recommend that this agreement and our
new relationship be inaugurated and affirmed by three central celebrations
of the eucharist at which all our churches would be represented. These
celebrations would be a sign of: |
| |
|
our joyful acceptance of one another; |
| |
|
our joint commitment in the faith and sacramental
life of the Church; |
| |
|
our welcome of the ministers and members
of the other churches as our own; |
| |
|
our commitment to engage in mission together. |
| |
These celebrations would include: |
| |
|
the reading and signing of the Porvoo Declaration; |
| |
|
a central prayer of thanksgiving for the
past and petition for the future, offered by Lutherans for Anglicans
and Anglicans for Lutherans; |
| |
|
the exchange of the Peace; |
| |
|
a jointly celebrated eucharist; |
| |
|
other verbal and ceremonial signs of our
common life. |
| C |
Wider Ecumenical Commitment |
| 60 |
We rejoice in our agreement and the form
of visible unity it makes possible. We see in it a step towards the
visible unity which all churches committed to the ecumenical movement
seek to manifest. We do not regard our move to closer communion as
an end in itself, but as part of the pursuit of a wider unity. This
pursuit will involve the following: |
| |
|
strengthening the links which each of our
churches has with other churches at local, national and international
level; |
| |
|
deepening relationships within and between
our two world communions and supporting efforts towards closer communion
between Anglican and Lutheran churches in other regions, especially
in relation to agreements being developed in Africa and North America; |
| |
|
developing further existing links with
other world communions, especially those with whom we have ecumenical
dialogues and agreements; |
| |
|
supporting together our local, national
and regional ecumenical councils, the Conference of European Churches
and the World Council of Churches. |
| 61 |
The common inheritance and common calling
of our churches, spelt out in this agreement, makes us conscious of
our obligation to contribute jointly to the ecumenical efforts of
others. At the same time we are aware of our own need to be enriched
by the insights and experience of churches of other traditions and
in other parts of the world. Together with them we are ready to be
used by God as instruments of his saving and reconciling purpose for
all humanity and creation. |
