Newsletter

Dear church,

We of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America join with people around the world in praying for the ministry of Pope Leo XIV. We rejoice with the people of the Roman Catholic Church, especially those in our communities, as they joyfully receive their new shepherd.

Today we witnessed the historic election of the first Augustinian and the first U.S.-born pope — only the second to come from the Americas. Thus we share with him both context and theological roots (Martin Luther was also an Augustinian). We pray that this will provide us, as Catholics and as Lutherans, with an opportunity to strengthen our visible unity in Christ through dialogue and cooperation for the life of the world.  

In his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the new pope extended the blessing of Pope Francis, saying: “God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace.”

We pray that the Holy Spirit will sustain Pope Leo XIV for the ministry to which he has been called, and will strengthen us all in our vocations as bridge-builders and as witnesses to God’s love for all people and creation.

In Christ,

Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Dear church,

On this Easter Monday, we of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America join with people around the world in heartfelt grief at the death of Pope Francis, and we celebrate his life eternal in Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis served Christ’s church with wisdom, courage and humility. Throughout his pastoral ministry, he served as an instrument of God’s justice and peace for all people and the whole of creation. His commitment to the poorest people, in his native Buenos Aires and around the world, was ever present, even in his simple living.

Pope Francis will go down in history as the first Jesuit bishop of Rome and the first from the Americas. His papacy will be remembered for his clarion call to action for climate justice, his bold engagement in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, his compassionate approach to several complex social issues, and his clear concern about the rise of right-wing populism worldwide and its impact on the most vulnerable.

In particular, we will remember Pope Francis for his significant contributions to the dialogue of life between Lutherans and Catholics, advancing the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. We will recall with amazement his participation alongside the Lutheran World Federation in a joint ecumenical commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on Oct. 31, 2016. I will never forget witnessing the procession of the pope and the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation down the aisle in red stoles during the prayer service that day. We give thanks to God for this witness to our visible unity in Christ.

We pray that God will strengthen the people of the Roman Catholic Church with the promise of Christ’s resurrection. We extend our condolences to all our Catholic siblings, including the bishops, priests, deacons, scholars and laypeople with whom we are in dialogue and partnership. We also pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the deliberations of the College of Cardinals as they begin the process of selecting a new pope.

O God, we remember with thanksgiving
those who have loved and served you on earth
and now rest from their labors, especially our brother, Pope Francis.
Keep us in union with all your saints,
and bring us with them to the joyous feast of heaven;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America