Walter Kasper
German theologian and bishop. As secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity he signed the confirmation of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification at Augsburg in 1999, and he later led the council.
Walter Kasper was born at Heidenheim an der Brenz in Germany on 5 March 1933, was ordained a priest of the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in 1957, taught dogmatic theology at Münster and Tübingen, and became bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in 1989 (Holy See Press Office, Biographical Notes on the Cardinals: Kasper). In 1994 he was named co-chair of the international commission for Lutheran–Catholic dialogue, and on 1 June 1999 secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Holy See Press Office, Biographical Notes on the Cardinals: Kasper).
In that office he signed, with Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the statement that confirmed the Joint Declaration for the Catholic Church (Official Common Statement (1999) signatures); see Lutherans and Catholics Agree on Justification. John Paul II made him a cardinal in February 2001 and president of the council the following month, a post he held until 2010 (Holy See Press Office, Biographical Notes on the Cardinals: Kasper).
In the timeline
- 31 October 1999, firm dateLutherans and Catholics Agree on Justification
At Augsburg the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church confirm a joint declaration: they share a consensus in basic truths of the doctrine of justification, and the condemnations of the sixteenth century do not apply to the teaching it sets out. Differences remain.