Zagreb, September 18, 2000 (IKA) — At the regular session of the Presidency of the Protestant-Evangelical Council in the Republic of Croatia, held on September 15, 2000 in Zagreb, there was discussion on the most recent declaration issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Holy See, Dominus Iesus, and on religious education in public schools. A statement from the session, signed by the secretary of the Council, Prof. Mladen Jovanović, points out that the Presidency of the Protestant-Evangelical Council “is surprised by the document Dominus Iesus … The churches of the Reformed heritage consider this document to be a ‘cold shower’ on the many ecumenical attempts following the Second Vatican Council. Reformed churches salute the title of this document, believing that Jesus Christ is truly the only Lord and that he is the only mediator between God and man,” reads the statement. “The churches of the Reformed heritage have always proceeded from the Biblical precept that the head of the Church is Christ alone. However, the assertion by the signer of this Vatican document, Cardinal Ratzinger, that all other Churches other than the Roman Catholic are incomplete, is insulting and sectarian at the very least,” reads the statement of the Protestant-Evangelical Council in the Republic of Croatia, which calls for the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in Croatia to distance itself from this document “in order for us to build dialogue together and patiently among Christians of the various Christian Churches.”
At the session of the Protestant-Evangelical Council, there was also an announcement of a forthcoming forum on the Reformation, which will be jointly organized by the Churches of the Reformed heritage (Baptist, Evangelical, the Church of God and the Church of Christ), to which representatives of the Evangelical alliances around the world will also be invited. The general secretary of the Council, Prof. Mladen Jovanović, will participate in the congress of the alliance of Great Britain, the oldest European alliance, which signed a contract five years ago on cooperation with the Protestant-Evangelical Council in Croatia.