In the time before the Vatican Council (1963-5) non- Catholic Christians were spoken of by the Holy Office of the Catholic Church as being ‘schismatics and heretics’.[1] Although the church had always wished to reconcile with the Orthodox after the East-West split of 1054, and to the Lutherans and Protestants at the time of the Reformation, the only way of achieving this at that time was for the other Christians to ‘return to Rome’. Rev Hans Asmussen, a German Lutheran Pastor, posed a question to then Archbishop Augustin Bea 1947 when Bea was Rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He said ‘Rome is always speaking of the need for the Protestants to ‘return ‘. What would happen if I brought the news that Protestants were returning tomorrow? ‘The reply was given by Bea. ‘That would be tricky since Rome is not prepared for it’. Asmussen was a leader in the Confessing Church, and he had been jailed several times for his outspoken opposition to Hitler and the Third Reich. He was not afraid to challenge Bea for his response and said: In that case, the appeal to return is irresponsible, an empty formula and the expression of the old lust for power’. [2]
[1] Stjepan Schmidt Augustin Bea New City Press New York 1992 p.237
[2] Wolfgang Lehmann, Hans Asmussen p.121-122 as quoted in Stjepan Schmidt ‘Augustin Bea’ New City Press NY 1992 Footnote to p.240.
[1] Stjepan Schmidt Augustin Bea New City Press New York 1992 p.237
[2] Wolfgang Lehmann, Hans Asmussen p.121-122 as quoted in Stjepan Schmidt ‘Augustin Bea’ New City Press NY 1992 Footnote to p.240.
Asmussen and many other Lutheran Clergy had been deeply affected by Hitler and the Third Reich and Hitler’s desire to create a German National Church under the authority of the State and a Bishop of Hitler’s choosing and had suffered for their witness of faith. A fellow Lutheran Pastor, Max Lackmann had also fallen foul of the Third Reich and had been sent to Dachau Concentration Camp. Here he was interned with many Catholic priests, an experience which had a profound effect on his life. After his release from Dachau, he decided to dedicate himself to the cause of ecumenism.
In January 1954 Asmussen and Lackmann together with two other Lutheran Clergymen Ernst Fincke and Wolfgang Lehmann founded a movement called Die Sammlung – a word meaning ‘the Gathering’. Together they felt a divine call to reunite divided Christendom which had suffered so much during the War. Bea took an interest in the development of the group and studied Asmussen’s Book Rom, Wittenberg Moskau which was published in 1956. He found he was able to agree with many of Asmussen’s conclusions, and later Asmussen visited Bea in Rome to discuss his work. He was deeply impressed by the Archbishop. Asmussen too was impressed by his time with the Archbishop and wrote up and circulated his impressions of his meeting to fifty leading figures, including sending a copy to the Archbishop. The Archbishop wished too to ‘keep the dialog going’ Asmussen and Bea continued with their discussion, with Bea responding subsequently with eleven pages of reflections.[1]
[1] Ibid p. 240-1
[1] Ibid p. 240-1
Die Sammlung movement started to spread, holding meetings are retreats and publishing their work. The most significant publication was titled ‘Katholische Reformation’ which was published in 1957 and later translated in 1961 into English as ‘The Unfinished Reformation’ – Twelve Evangelical Affirmations of Catholic Truths’. The book had as its first edition of 20,000 copies and there were circulated widely. It received favorable reviews by both Catholics and Protestants, in Germany and in Italy. The leading Catholic paper in Italy, Il Quotidiano wrote concerning the Book under a striking heading ‘The End of the Reformation?’. The Catholic Rheinischer Merkur wrote in its edition of August 2 1957, ‘Behind the Twelve theses there is obviously a burning, spiritual passion for the unity of the Church, and behind this passion are men and women, active ,striving Christians, all of one mind and purpose, regardless of creed’.[1] The Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung of Würzburg in an edition of July 7th 1957 declared ‘ The publishing of these Theses also made its impact upon us Catholics, penetrating to our very hearts. ’
[1] Hans Asmussen Ed The Unfinished Reformation. Fides Publishers Notre Dame. 1961 Introduction p.xxxiv.
[1] Hans Asmussen Ed The Unfinished Reformation. Fides Publishers Notre Dame. 1961 Introduction p.xxxiv.
The subjects of the Theses were wide ranging and controversial: ‘the Church’s Christian mysteries, the relation of Grace and Freedom, the sacrifice of Christ, the apostolic succession of bishops, the office of priesthood and ordination, the primacy of the chair of Peter, the Episcopal teaching office, the relation of Scripture and tradition and the importance of the veneration of the saints in the life of the Church.’[1] The German publisher said the significance of the book is the call for a Catholic Reformation in the Evangelical Church , and likewise for a renewal of Catholicity in the Roman Church in the spirit of the evangelical tradition’ . [2]
Bea took considerable time in studying the twelve theses and discussed it on several occasions, drawing up a list of comments and observations amounting to several pages. He made mention of the movement in his own book on Ecumenism ‘The Unity of Christians’.[1] Looking back from the vantage of 2016, it could easily be surmised that the work had some – if not significant - influence in the Council and the reforms that took place after it, ‘creating this renewal of Catholicity in the Roman Church in the Spirit of the evangelical tradition’. The Second Vatican Council was only summoned in 1959, two years after the publishing of Die Sammlung’s ‘Katholische Reformation' . It was a complete surprise that the new ‘caretaker’ Pope should call for such a major event in church history and open it successfully to other churches to attend and even participate. In some way, the work of Die Sammlung perhaps helped to create with the Una Sancta Brotherhood of Fr Max Metzger the atmosphere for this epochal event in the history of the church to take place.
[1] Cardinal Bea The Unity of Christians Herder and Herder New York 1963 p.43 Footnote
[1] Cardinal Bea The Unity of Christians Herder and Herder New York 1963 p.43 Footnote
Later in 1962, while the Council was just starting, the now ‘Cardinal’ Bea visited Heidelberg as the President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity to talk about the Council and the prospects for Christian Unity. He met up once again with his Lutheran friend Hans Asmussen. Cardinal Bea’s secretary Stjepan Schmidt recalls Asmussen saying “Now that your secretariat is undertaking what I was aiming at, I can retire”. In 1963 the Die Sammlung movement ceased meeting, whilst some – including Max Lackmann – continued with the ‘Association for Evangelical Catholic Reunion’ and indeed was able to attend the Vatican Council meetings as an Observer on behalf of the movement.
None of the leaders of Die Sammlung wished to convert to Catholicism. They wished to remain faithful to their own Lutheran tradition, and to work for reconciliation between the churches. Sadly, for their pioneering work which helped to prepare the way not only for the Vatican Council but finally over thirty years later to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation, they were sidelined. Hans Asmussen retorted to these accusations saying
“I have no Catholizing tendencies, but rather a Catholic passion”.
None of the leaders of Die Sammlung wished to convert to Catholicism. They wished to remain faithful to their own Lutheran tradition, and to work for reconciliation between the churches. Sadly, for their pioneering work which helped to prepare the way not only for the Vatican Council but finally over thirty years later to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation, they were sidelined. Hans Asmussen retorted to these accusations saying
“I have no Catholizing tendencies, but rather a Catholic passion”.
Max Lackmann said, ‘one is either a Catholic Christian or one is no Christian’.[1] He was pensioned off early for his ‘Catholic tendencies’. As if to rebuff this accusation, he wrote:
“We say Yes to tradition and No to traditionalism, Yes to the office of the Pope, and No to papalism. Yes, to the canon of the Church, No to legalism. To Mary the most blessed Mother of God we say yes! But we must say No to Marianism! Yes, to the institution of the Church and to episcopacy, confession etc., but No to institutionalism. Yes, to the abundant grace of he holy sacraments and to the sacramental character of the Church: no to sacramentalism. Yes, to Rome as the central See, but No to centralism and Romanism.[1]
[1] Hans Asmussen Ed The Unfinished Reformation. Fides Publishers Notre Dame. 1961 Essay by Max Lackmann The Call of Evangelical Christianity p.106
Max Lackmann spent much of his latter years giving ecumenical Bible retreats in a Centre now called the Hans Asmussen House in Gersfeld-Dalherda, near Fulda. It is not known how he may have reacted to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification which he lived to see. He died on January 11, 2000 and is buried with his wife Elsa Maria Lackmann in a graveyard in Fulda.
Hans Asmussen was the provost of Kiel from 1948 until 1955. He later retired to Heidelberg where he continued to write and lecture. His dedication to ecumenism brought him many enemies who accused him of having ‘catholic tendencies’. He died on the 30th of December 1968 and was buried in Kiel. His inscription read ‘'auf das sie alle eines seien", - that they may all be one (John 17:21). [1] It was the same text that had been placed on the grave of his friend Cardinal Bea in who had died the previous month on November 16th, 1968 and who was buried in his native Riedböhringen, in Baden-Württemberg. [2]
[1] https://en.evangelischer-widerstand.de/html/view.php?type=dokument&id=206&l= [2] Stjepan Schmidt Augustin Bea New City Press New York 1992 p.714 |
‘U t omnes unum sint’, - that they may all be one
Picture Credits: The priests block Dachau Prof.Jörg Ernesti University of Augsburg Wittemburg panorama Unknown Photo of Asmussen with Bonhoeffer Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh, in the Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH, Munich (copyright expired 2015) Photo of Max Lackmann from Book The Augsburg Confession and Catholic Unity 1963 Herder and Herder Grave of Lackmann Jürgen Brehl Hans-Asmussen-Haus Hans Asmussen House and book cover Unknown. Photo of Hans Asmussen Grave, Kiel courtesy of Hazel Mills